The Akatsuki Pride
by Romancehowler
Summary: As the result of a chakra infection, The Akatsuki (except Sasori, Zetsu and Itachi) wake up in a strange place as... lion cubs? Join everyone's favorite criminal organization as they get wrapped up in a royal conspiracy along with a certain prince and try to find a way back to their reality, all while facing the trials of survival, friendship, and... puberty? Follows TLK storyline.
1. Chapter 1: Warp

**Hey guys! This idea's been in my head for a while, and I've always wanted to write a crossover of sorts. This story is mostly humor oriented, there will be some dark themes scattered around though. It's been ages since I've written anything, and I want to write something I'll actually finish. Also, chapters should be longer than ones of my other stories, since I've figured my chapter lengths were too short. Tobi/Obito/Madara shall be referred to as Tobi for most of the story. As for why I left Itachi out of the mess, he was getting close to fighting Sasuke and I don't really know what to do with him if he was thrown away from it so fast. Plus, you know... he wouldn't last long because of his whole illness thing. Also, when the Akatsuki enter the Lion King universe, they'll be placed at the start of the first movie. Anyway, onto the beginning!**

The Sasuke Retrieval team was growing increasingly frustrated. The mysterious Tobi had shown up, and after annoying them somewhat, they'd attacked him. Only, he seemed impervious to everything. He simply became intangible, and any solid object just went right through him. While outwardly acting the fool, in his mind Tobi was somewhat... perplexed.

 _'Odd... the chakra around here seems... warped somehow. Like something's meddling with it. It seems to be affecting my chakra as well. This needs investigating, I'll finish up here and inform Zetsu.'_ Tobi stopped flailing wildly, and landed on a shaded branch. He allowed his sharingan to shine through his mask, and looked directly at Kakashi. The shinobi frowned in confusion, and Tobi quickly warped away, leaving him something to think about.

Back at the Akatsuki base, Tobi was approached by Zetsu.

" **Your chakra seems to be affected by something, Tobi.** It doesn't appear properly stable," said Zetsu as he observed Tobi.

Tobi inclined his head and replied, "Yes... I noticed chakra warping in a certain area, and it seems to have clung to my own chakra. I am not yet sure if we can make use of this, so for now we wait and study any affects that may arise."

A week passed, and as the Akatsuki continued to do seek the tailed beasts (with the exception of Sasori who was dead), Tobi observed something alarming. The chakra warping effect had spread to the other members of the Akatsuki, except for Zetsu and Itachi. Tobi also noticed he was beginning to feel lethargic over time, as were the other members. He quickly came at the problem with seriousness, as he could not risk any weakness from the chakra warping. Despite all of his methods, he couldn't figure out the origins of the problem or how to get rid of it. The lethargy worsened as the days passed, and eventually the Akatsuki fell unconscious, one by one. When they woke up, they'd get one hell of a surprise...

* * *

Since Tobi was the first to fall asleep, he was the first to wake. He quickly noticed he wasn't in the base, rather out in an open plain in the sun. He tried to spring up, but his body was slow to react to what he wanted. A bolt of alarm shot through him when he realized something odd. He couldn't sense any chakra, not even his _own_ chakra. He found he consequently couldn't activate his sharingan.

 _'No chakra... how am I still alive? Nobody, not even Madara can live without any chakra!'_

As Tobi moved to stand up, he was further surprised to find that he seemed to be quadrupedal. Everything also seemed to be out of proportion to him; bigger. Looking down at his new body, Tobi noticed he had dark beige fur, beige underfur and a tuft of onyx hair on his head. As he at last stood on his... _four_ legs, he could see a number of small animals sprawled on the ground near him. On closer inspection they seemed to be lion cubs, albeit with some odd features, resembling their original appearances. All were male, except for one female with grey-lilac fur and black markings. One male had a thick blond hair tuft and light beige fur. Another had a brawny build, with grey fur and black hair tufts on his head and elbows. The male lying next to the lilac female had a lanky frame, light tan fur, light cream underfur and a silky red hair tuft. Near the pair was a skinny grey male with a scruffy look. The largest cub among the group was blue-grey with a stiff dark blue hair tuft.

 _'The rest of the Akatsuki. Interesting.'_ Tobi mused. Oddly enough, he could still feel his mask even though the others lacked clothing. The mask still looked about the same, an orange spiral design with a single hole. Only it only covered his face and upper jaw, leaving his lower jaw free so that he could eat and... talk?

Testing his theory and putting on his fool voice, Tobi attempted to rouse the rest of The Akatsuki.

"Hello? Anyone awake? Tobi feels lonely." his voice projected loudly, and Tobi was satisfied that communication would be no issue.

The light tan cub shifted slightly and made a move to get up in response to the noise. Tobi recognized him to be Nagato, though he was confused as to why he seemed to look similar to his original body instead of Pein's.

"Oof!" Nagato had tried to stand on two legs unsuccessfully, falling over with a thud. He noticed Tobi looking at him, and spoke.

"Madara? Is that you? What the hell is this?!" Nagato was frustrated at his new body, at last managing to stand shakily on four legs.

"I'm not sure. It's no genjutsu, that's for certain. We've been turned into lion cubs, but the strangest thing is I can't sense any chakra at all, not even my own. I theorise that we've somehow been sent to another reality or dimension." Tobi said as he glanced at his surroundings, switching to his "Madara" voice. Or, well, as intimidating a voice he could get with the body of a cub.

Nagato thought for a moment before asking another question, "Is there a way out? I assume we can't perform jutsu if chakra is.. non-existent."

"Mh..." the conversing lions saw Konan begin to wake, getting up shakily but somewhat elegantly.

"Perhaps it would be best if we wait for the others to wake before explaining all this" Tobi said quickly, and switched back to his fool persona.

* * *

The other members of The Akatsuki woke up one by one, and after Nagato explained their odd situation and the whole lack of chakra and jutsu thing, they all had varying reactions.

Deidara was rather angry, waving his new appendages about in indignation, "How the hell am I supposed to make art without hands?! These paws are useless for clay molding!"

Kisame was... strangely happy. "Well, at least if I'm stuck in an animal's body, it's a strong predator animal. Lions aren't that different from sharks really. Size is a bit of a problem, but I've seen how big lions can get."

Hidan was annoyed. "Sharp claws and teeth, but a puny body. Oh well, perhaps rodents will satisfy Jashin for now."

Tobi was happy to go pester Deidara for a while, while in his mind he was somewhat numb. He didn't really have a goal now, since the whole "Eye of The Moon Plan" would never work in this world. He decided it would be best to stick together as a group for protection, meanwhile they'd try to find a way back to their reality. Being cubs they would be vulnerable alone, and it would take time for them to grow.

 _'But hopefully we won't have to be here long...'_

Konan and Kakuzu were mostly indifferent to their new predicament. "Great, now I'll have to work even harder to make up for all the cash I lost. If cash exists here. If not, I'll just find some other currency that this place has." Kakuzu left after his grumbly little speech, as he only really stayed with the group because he was paid.

 _'I'll come back to them if it's too dangerous to be alone. But then again, I doubt I'll die any time soon. Even if this body is small, I'm still immortal.'_ Kakuzu shrugged and padded out into the unknown.

Nagato explained to the others that it would be best to stick together for protection and find a way back to their reality as soon as possible, repeating Tobi's thoughts. They mostly agreed, seeing as that with no chakra and jutsu and small bodies, they'd be defenseless alone.

"So what now? I think we should try to find food or someplace away from this heat" Konan said, nodding at the blazing sun above them.

"Agreed. We'll have to hunt for food, so I recommend doing that now and then moving on to find shelter" Nagato nodded, and Kisame spoke up,

"Hunting eh? Sounds like my kind of thing. I'll see if I can smell something edible, and I'll roar if I manage to bring it down." Kisame grinned at the prospect of killing, and wandered into the long grass.

* * *

Kisame caught the scent of a wary animal nearby, and instinctively shifted into a crouch. He could smell blood, and noticed a small deer-like animal hobbling with an injured leg.

 _'Easy prey...'_ Kisame smirked for a moment, then pounced.

He held the animal down with his superior weight, then expertly tore it's throat out to silence it's cries. He'd been kicked a few times, but barely felt it with the rush of adrenaline coursing through him. The dikdik was luckily about the same size as Kisame, so it would provide a sufficient meal for the others.

Kisame roared to signal the rest of the Akatsuki, but it came out as more of a loud squeak. When the others came to him Tobi commented innocently on his "Roar",

"Did you step on a mouse Kisame? Tobi thinks he heard one." Deidara and Hidan snickered while Kisame glared murderously at Tobi.

"Ehh... Tobi thinks we better eat before this goes bad." Tobi giggled with a nervous gulp.

Though the meal was somewhat skinny it filled them a little. Tobi spotted something in the distance, and the group walked towards it. As they got closer, it seemed to be a crude structure of some sort. Kisame could smell animals congregating around it.

"Wow, that's a really big rock!" Tobi exclaimed jovially.

Towering above them, blocking the sun, was Pride Rock.

 **So, if you got this far, tell me what you think! Did I do an ok job of starting a crossover? I'd love critiques if anyone wants to review! Also, tell me if I got something wrong with the Naruto storyline at the start of the chapter, I'd hate to leave a mistake unnoticed. The Akatsuki retain the same eyes they had as humans, in case anyone was confused (Nagato's eyes are blue, since he can't use the rinnegan without chakra).**


	2. Chapter 2: Circle of Life

**Disclaimer: The Lion King, Naruto, and all their affiliates belong to each of their respective owners, not me.**

 **Thanks to Persival and DarkWolfX51 for leaving a follow and a review, I appreciate it! I've made a cover for this story, it shows The Akatsuki as how they look as cubs, plus Simba and Nala. It sucks, but I'm not really an artist. In this chapter the gang find themselves caught up in** ** _The Circle of Life_** **scene.**

"Idiot..." muttered Deidara after Tobi's childish comment.

"I can smell a lot of animals nearby. They seem to be going towards that rock." Kisame informed the group, peering at the aforementioned natural structure.

As they got closer they spotted droves of creatures walking, all in the same direction. Suddenly, the ground beneath the group's paws shook as if from an earthquake.

"Uwah!" Tobi narrowly dodged a massive grey foot that thudded onto the ground next to him.

"What the hell _are_ those?!" Hidan exclaimed as more feet joined the first, kicking up dust.

Some elephants lumbered slowly towards them, and the cubs scattered to avoid them. A few tripped since they were so unused to having four legs, but most of them avoided being squashed.

"Yeoww!"

The cubs looked to see Tobi comically jumping in the air, clutching his tail.

"Tobi's tail got stepped on! It hurts!" he whined.

"Ugh, shut up!" Deidara was getting increasingly annoyed by his partner, and was even angrier that he had no explosives with him

Kisame and Hidan snickered at the display, while Nagato and Konan just shook their heads.

"Come on, I think we should go see what they're all going towards." Nagato said, and the group went towards Pride rock.

* * *

As they got closer, the cubs heard something resonating nearby. Upon further inspection, it appeared to be a sequence of rhyming words.

"Is that... singing?" Kisame wondered incredulously.

 _"There's more to see, than can ever be seen_

 _More to do, than can ever be done._

 _There's far too much to take in here,_

 _More to find than can ever be found._

 _With the sun rolling high,_

 _In the sapphire sky._

 _Keeps great and small,_

 _On the endless round!_

 _It's the circle of life!_

 _And it moves us all!"_

It _was_ singing. A choir of various birds, to be exact. While they continued to sing, the cubs peered up onto Pride Rock's ledge.

"There's something up there. Looks like more animals." said Hidan as he squinted

 _'If only I could use my sharingan.. there still is a way I could activate it, but I need to concentrate.'_ Tobi shut his eyes, and focused on his inner chi. While he had no chakra, he could still use chi to maintain his dojutsu. However, it would be very draining on his body, and he wouldn't be able to use it for long.

For a second his sharingan activated, but faded again. Tobi concentrated his eye and activated it, looking at the ledge. He could see a big lion and a baboon... hugging? His vision was flickering, but he could also make out some sort of bird and a lioness with something in her paws off to the side. Tobi broke the connection to his chi and deactivated his sharingan with a wince.

"Tobi's head hurts!" he cried in his fool voice.

Deidara smacked him hard with his paw, causing him to topple over.

"Hey look, I think that's a monkey!" Kisame exclaimed, pointing to the rock's ledge where Rafiki was beginning his walk to the edge.

* * *

Rafiki reached the end of Pride Rock at last, and held up Simba for all to see. The animals went into a frenzy, elephants trumpeted, monkeys hollered, birds cawed and created a cacophony of noise.

"What the fuck are they so excited about?!" yelled Hidan, trying to avoid the stamping hooves near him.

"Tobi sees a monkey holding a baby lion!" yelled Tobi in response, pointing at Rafiki.

 _'The hell?! What kind of maniac does that? Come to think of it, why are all these creatures so excited about a monkey holding a baby over impending doom?'_ Kisame wondered in astonishment.

The animals at last quieted and began to bow, while the cubs just sat and continued to observe.

"This gets weirder and weirder by the minute.." Deidara muttered, rubbing his face with a paw.

The animals soon got back up and dispersed to their territories, when Konan went to talk to a cheetah standing beside them.

"Excuse me, what was all that bowing and trumpeting about?" she asked politely.

The cheetah's ears perked up in surprise, "You don't know? That was the presentation of Prince Simba, heir to Pride Rock. You must be new here, I've not seen you around before..." The cheetah trailed off when he saw the rest of The Akatsuki. He saw an intelligence in their eyes that unnerved him, and decided he'd better get them out of his face as soon as possible.

"I'd recommend going to Pride Rock if you're newcomers, that's where the lions live." The cheetah gestured at a cave on the side of Pride Rock, then quickly trotted off.

Konan padded over to the others and explained what she'd heard,

"It seems that a king and queen rule over the area, and the cub the baboon held over the ledge was their son. It seems to be their way of presenting an heir. We should go to the structure, it's apparently where the lions reside."

* * *

The cubs had arrived at the caves around Pride Rock, where they witnessed two lions arguing. One was heavily built, with golden fur, amber eyes and a thick red mane. The other was thinner and smaller, with dark red-brown fur, bright green eyes and a jet black mane. The first lion was frowning at the second lion, who seemed to be partially ignoring him. Beside the first lion was the blue bird Tobi had seen earlier, looking at the brown lion with a hint of fear.

"Sarabi and I didn't see you at the presentation of Simba," the first lion, Mufasa, began with a hint of annoyance.

"That was _today?_ Oh, I feel simply _awful!_ " the voice of Scar, the second lion, dripped with sarcasm.

Scar casually scraped his foreclaws down the stony wall of Pride Rock, causing Zazu to wince at the resulting screeching sound.

"Must've slipped my mind.." he continued, casually examining his sharpened claws.

"Yes, well, slippery as your mind is as the king's brother _you_ should have been first in line!" Zazu replied somewhat haughtily, then yelped when Scar snapped his jaws at him.

"I _was_ first in line... until the little _hairball_ was born!" Scar spat with resentment.

"That _hairball_ is my son, and your future king!" Mufasa growled at the insult.

" _Oooh,_ I shall practice my curtsy." Scar mocked, and began to pad away.

"Don't turn your back on me, Scar!" exclaimed Mufasa, his temper rising.

"Oh no Mufasa, perhaps it's _you_ who shouldn't turn your back on _me._ " Scar replied pointedly.

Mufasa roared angrily and ran up to his brother, "Is that a challenge?!"

"Temper, temper, I wouldn't _dream_ of challenging _you._ " Scar drawled, not particularly fazed.

"Pity, why not?" Zazu asked.

"Well as far as brains go _I_ got the lion's share, but when it comes to brute strength..." Scar trailed off with a sad expression,"I'm afraid I'm at the shallow end of the gene pool.." he finished, and wandered off onto the grass.

"What am I going to do with him?" Mufasa sighed tiredly and shook his head.

"He'd make a very handsome throw rug." Zazu joked.

"Zazu!" Mufasa chided.

"And just think, every time he gets dirty you can take him out and beat him!"

Mufasa and Zazu exited Pride Rock, unknowing their previous exchange had several witnesses.

* * *

"...I think we just walked in on some royal conspiracy." Kisame commented, eyebrow raised.

"Whatever that was, I suggest we go up to that 'Mufasa' and get some answers." Nagato ordered, then began walking towards the king as the rest followed suit.

"Hey! Hey mister!" Tobi called, bounding over to Mufasa with his usual cheery demeanor.

"I don't recognize him sire..." Zazu whispered to the king with a wary glance.

"Relax Zazu, he's just a cub." Mufasa reassured, though he felt unsettled when he looked at the odd orange thing on the cub's face.

"My name is Tobi, and we're lost!" greeted Tobi as he stopped in front of Mufasa.

"We?" Zazu asked cautiously, eyes darting around.

"Yeah, Tobi's friends are with him too!" the other Akatsuki members padded over to join Tobi.

"Forgive his childish behavior. We've no home and we'd like to request to live here for the time being." Konan chimed in.

"Ah, yes of course. As long as you don't cause trouble you are welcome here." Mufasa smiled and nodded, seeing no harm in harboring some cubs for a while.

"Are you sure about this, sire? They're a strange lot.." Zazu whispered, growing more concerned as he looked at each odd cub in turn.

"Don't be so quick to judge Zazu, they're only cubs. Now, I'll introduce myself. I am king Mufasa, ruler of The Pridelands. This is Zazu, my majordomo." Mufasa nodded at Zazu.

"Charmed, my name is Konan, and these are my companions." Konan nodded at the others to introduce themselves.

"My name is Pein, and I'm the leader of our group." Nagato said.

"I'm Deidara the artist, hm!" Deidara smirked.

"I'm Hidan, follower of Jashin!" Hidan grinned somewhat insanely.

"My name's Kisame, the "Muscle" of the group." Kisame said, donning a predatory smile.

"And you already know Tobi! Tobi likes orange!" Tobi exclaimed childishly, bouncing with excitement.

Though he raised an eyebrow at a few of their responses, Mufasa nodded none the less.

A loud growl was heard, and all eyes went to Tobi.

"Uhh... do you have food? Tobi is hungry."

* * *

A few months passed and The Akatsuki had adapted to their new home somewhat. Hidan frequently sacrificed mice and other small creatures to Jashin since his small body couldn't take down big things. Kisame amused himself by hunting and watching Deidara bicker with Tobi. Deidara would try to mold art out of clay he would sometimes find in the ground, but since he had nothing to make his "Art" blow up, he always deemed them failures. Tobi continued acting like a happy-go-lucky idiot, often pestering Deidara. In reality, he was trying to find a way back to the shinobi world. He had an idea, but couldn't pull it off in his current state. Nagato and Konan spent most of their time wandering together, observing the land and animals, oddly at peace.

Simba himself had grown, and he was now a little smaller than The Akatsuki cubs. Another cub his age named Nala had befriended him, and the duo spent their time getting into lots of trouble, sometimes doing pranks. They once pranked Kisame, but steered clear of him afterwards.

"Hey Nala, I got an idea for a prank we could pull on one of the other cubs!" Simba whispered to his best friend one day, looking out from within the sleeping cave.

"As long as it doesn't involve honey. I am _not_ going through that again." Nala shuddered at an unpleasant memory.

"Don't worry, this is something way better than that. Here's the plan..."

Kisame spotted the two whispering cubs and raised an eyebrow. He had heard about the duo's reputation for trouble, and he just knew they were up to something.

"Hah, this is gonna be so funny! Okay, how about we do it to..." Simba scanned the cave for a victim and spotted Kisame turning to leave.

"That blue guy?" Nala asked, wrinkling her nose at the strangely-colored cub.

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly. He hunts a lot, so I know just how to do it to him."

Outside the cave some time later, Kisame spotted a dikdik nearby, a small one. It was moving oddly, indicating it would be easy prey. Grinning, he lowered himself into a crouch and snuck forwards. The dikdik knew the cub was there thanks to Simba, but was still shaking with fear. Kisame was known to be brutal with his prey, many mice telling horror stories of what they'd seen. Simba had approached the dikdik and given it some juicy fruits in exchange for it services. Simba had coated the dikdik in paralyzing nectar from a flower, so that Kisame's mouth would be paralyzed when he tried to bite the dikdik.

Kisame pounced, sinking his teeth into the dikdik, but felt a weird sensation in his mouth. The dikdik took advantage of his confusion and scampered off.

"What thh.." Kisame felt his mouth going numb, and soon he could barely move it. He heard muffled laughter coming from behind a tree, and spotted Simba and Nala struggling to contain their mirth.

 _'I'll teach them to mess with my killing!'_ Kisame snuck up and pounced on the two, giving them decent scratches for their mischief.

"Nbr agn, unr snd?" Kisame tried to come off as threatening, but when it failed he just glared at the troublemakers. Needless to say Simba and Nala kept away from Kisame after that.

"This clay is useless, hm!" Deidara kicked at a lump of clay he'd unsuccessfully tried to mold, and spotted Kisame pad by with his mouth open and tongue hanging out.

"Nbt h wd."

* * *

 **That concludes chapter 2, the next chapter will kick off the Lion King storyline, starting off with Simba and the Akatsuki getting to know each other. Also, to elaborate on the "Chi" thing, it's basically a way to channel the energy of the soul, and since the living things in the TLK universe and the Naruto universe presumably all have souls, they all have chi. But they can only use it if they know how to draw upon it, and even then to use it for too long is fatal. One way chi can be used is as a poor substitute for chakra. Chi can only be used by Tobi for now, and only to use his sharingan. Drop a review if you want, I could use some critiques.**


	3. Chapter 3: Friendship

**Thanks to Mikol for favoriting and following and king of nightmares for following, I appreciate it! As an answer to your question DarkWolfX51: Yes, they retain their immortality, and I plan to have the Akatsuki retain some of their unique abilities through the use of chi. The chi will only allow them to keep abilities that are attached to their souls in some way, ie Obito keeps his sharingan because it's from his bloodline, but he can't use simpler chakra techniques or healing since they don't really link to him. Nagato _can_ retain his rinnegan, albeit weakly since it wasn't his in the first place. Hidan and Kakuzu keep their immortality due to the ways they gained it, and Konan will still be able to manipulate paper... if she can find any that is. Deidara will get his hand-mouths back at some point, and he'll still be able to create explosions since it's his kekkei-genkai. Kisame will be able to manipulate water to an extent, since he's so deeply connected with the element. Nagato will have access to some of the nature releases as well as the rinnegan, but he can't do strong techniques. Of course, they'll need to learn how to properly access and channel their chi before they can do much. Here's an extra long chapter, wherein Kisame gets up to some mischief with Simba!**

The Akatsuki were all sound asleep in a small corner. The cave they were in was also host to the rest of the pride, mostly females except for the king and prince. Normally The Akatsuki would have someone stand watch while the rest slept, but since there were no enemy shinobi and they were in a cave full of other lions, they decided it was unnecessary. Unfortunately, their peaceful slumber was about to be disturbed.

"Dad! Dad! Cmon dad we gotta go, wake up!" Simba came bounding up to Mufasa, stepping on a few lionesses by accident who responded with irritated growls and grunts.

"Dad? Daaad! Dad dad dad dad dad..." Simba kept repeating as he tried to rouse his father.

Deidara was woken up by this, and his immediate thought was _'Damn it, Tobi!'_ but when he peered at the masked cub he was sound asleep. He saw Simba pestering his parents and sleepily facepalmed _'I swear to Kami, he's worse than Tobi sometimes.'_ Deidara growled and covered his ears with his paws, trying futilely to get back to sleep.

"Your son is awake..." Sarabi mumbled sleepily to her mate.

"Before sunrise, he's _your_ son..." Mufasa replied, trying to ignore Simba's prodding.

"Daad, cmon dad..." Simba resorted to grabbing onto Mufasa's ear and tugging it.

"Mrr, guh, dad!" Simba lost his grip and fell off the platform onto a pile of bones, making a loud clattering sound.

This woke the rest of The Akatsuki, with the exception of Tobi who was still sleeping. Deidara quickly rectified this by smacking him with his paw. For a split second Tobi was ready to attack whoever ambushed him, but immediately switched to his fool persona when he saw Deidara.

"Owww, that hurt Deidara-senpai!" Tobi whined, and clung to Deidara.

"Get off me!" What ensued was a comical "Fight" wherein the duo rolled on the ground, Tobi sobbing and apologizing while Deidara kept trying to push him off.

While the rest of the group either chuckled or shook their heads, Simba had managed to wake his father. The royal family padded outside, Sarabi nudging her son towards Mufasa. The king and prince made their way to the very top of Pride Rock, while The Akatsuki headed out themselves.

* * *

The Akatsuki were wandering the plains, when Tobi pulled Nagato aside. After checking to see they were out of earshot of the other cubs, Tobi switched to his "Madara" voice, which really wasn't very intimidating due to his body and thus small throat.

"Nagato, I've found a way to get back to our world, but I can't pull it off in this small body. You know of chi, yes?" Nagato nodded, and Tobi continued,

"Well, I can use it to activate my sharingan, though it is weak currently and I can't maintain it for long. I surmise that once this body has grown and strengthened somewhat, and with some practice, I will be able to activate my mangekyo sharingan. Through that, I'll be able to use kamui to transport myself and the others back to our dimension. I want you to show the others how to properly channel and use chi as a chakra substitute, so that they may regain some of their abilities if they need them in dire times. But make sure not to overwork them, I can't afford it if they die." Nagato nodded, and the duo rejoined the rest of the cubs.

Nagato explained chi to the others, and demonstrated how to channel it. He stressed that using too much or for too long would be fatal, as chi is part of their souls, and that it requires intense concentration. He demonstrated by moving a small clump of earth and throwing it at a nearby rock, his eyes being closed the whole time. He was sweating a bit, but his chi reserves were slightly larger than normal so he didn't feel the strain as much as he would have.

The other members took to it quickly, with the exception of Tobi who pretended to try and fail. Kisame progressed quickly, soon able to move small amounts of water. After a little while Nagato told them to cease and practice again at another time, and most of the cubs felt drained.

* * *

"...from the crawling ant, to the leaping antelope." The Akatsuki heard Mufasa approaching them, speaking to his son about the values of their world.

"But dad, don't we eat the antelope?"

"Yes, Simba, but let me explain. When we die our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass. And so, we are all connected in the great Circle of Life." Mufasa finished, spotting the group of cubs near him.

 _'So the animals here know the concept of religion then.'_ Tobi mused.

"Hey guys! Wanna join me and my dad on patrol?" Simba bounded up to the other cubs, and Tobi piped up before they could say anything in protest.

"Sure, Simba! Tobi and his friends don't have much to do anyway." Deidara facepalmed, but relented. Tobi was actually thinking it could be useful to gather information about the land and it's hierarchy.

"...Hell no, I'm gonna go make some sacrifices." Hidan commented, and padded off to find some mice. The rest of the group stayed and saw Zazu alight on a rock.

"Good morning sire! Ch-" Zazu's eyes narrowed when he spotted the Akatsuki cubs next to Simba. He was wary of them, especially the cub with the orange thing covering his face. It made him feel like the cub knew more than he was letting on, and that he had something to hide.

"What are _they_ doing here?" Zazu asked, folding his wings in an annoyed manner.

"Simba requested they accompany him, and I don't see anything wrong with it. If anything, it's good for a future king to interact with his future subjects." While Mufasa said this, Kisame shot a hungry grin towards Zazu and licked his lips. If there was one thing he loved, it was making that pompous bird squirm.

 _'Maybe if I get big enough, I'll try to eat him. I'd like to hear him scream.'_ Kisame chuckled sinisterly at the thought.

"Well, anyway, I have the morning report for you sire." Zazu paled a bit when he caught sight of Kisame's malicious smile.

"Fire away!"

"Well, the buzz from the bees says the leopards are in a bit of a spot..."

"Oh really?"

Simba chased a grasshopper, and Mufasa noticed.

"What are you doing son?"

"The baboons are going ape..." Zazu continued to babble, caught up in his listing.

"Pouncing" Simba replied absentmindedly.

"Of course the giraffes are acting all high and mighty..."

"Let an old pro show you how it's done..." Kisame padded up to Simba and grinned, an idea forming in his head.

 _'This should be amusing.'_ Kisame grinned at the prospect of Zazu being humiliated.

"And I told the elephants to forget it, but they _can't_..."

"Zazu, would you turn around?" Mufasa asked, catching wind of what Kisame was up to.

"Yes, sire. The cheetahs are hard up, but, as I always say, cheaters never prosper..." Zazu obliged and kept talking, oblivious to what was going on.

"Stay low to the ground..." Kisame whispered to Simba, and the pair crouched.

"Okay stay low to the ground, right yeah..." Simba replied, wiggling his shoulders in excitement.

* * *

"What's going on?" Zazu asked, finally noticing something was off. His eyes flicked to the Akatsuki cubs, but they were just standing acting innocent. He noticed Kisame wasn't with them and fidgeted nervously.

"A pouncing lesson." Mufasa answered.

"Ah, very good, pouncing... POUNCING! You can't be serious sire! Oh..." Zazu groaned, and Mufasa gestured for him to turn back around.

"This is so humiliating..."

"Try not to make a sound.." Kisame whispered to Simba.

"What's going on Mufasa?" Zazu asked fearfully, turning his head. The king was nowhere to be seen."Mufasa... Simba?" Zazu squeaked, shrinking in fear.

"Rarr!" Simba and Kisame both pounced on Zazu, earning a startled yelp from the bird. Simba quickly got off him, but Kisame held him down a second longer and flashed a hungry grin at him,

"I'd kill you right here and now bird, but I'd rather not get sentenced for treason." Kisame chuckled and got off the majordomo, going to rejoin the rest of the group.

"Ahahaha!" Mufasa chuckled deeply at the cub's antics, unaware of Kisame's threats, "That's very good!"

"Zazu, sir! News from the underground!" a brown gopher suddenly popped out of the ground and quickly told Zazu something.

"Okay, this time..." Kisame started saying.

"Sire! Hyenas, in The Pridelands!" Zazu shouted, flying up to the lion.

"Zazu, take the cubs home." Mufasa ordered, getting to his paws and running towards the border.

"Aw dad, can't I come?" Simba protested.

"No, son."

"I never get to go anywhere..." Simba said grumpily, following the other cubs towards Pride Rock.

"Oh, young master, one day _you_ will be king, and you'll be able to chase those slobbering, mangy, stupid poachers from dawn until dusk!" Zazu took off from the rock and glided alongside Simba.

* * *

Once the group got back to Pride Rock, they spotted Hidan doing something to a mouse.

"Accept my offering, Jashin!" Hidan had slit the mouse's body, causing it's blood to spray everywhere. Hidan had drawn a crude circle around himself with the blood, an insane grin on his face the whole time.

Zazu shuddered at the macabre display and glided off. Simba thought it was weird, but decided he wanted to introduce his new friends to his uncle.

"Hey guys, let's go see my uncle Scar! He's kinda weird, but cool!" Simba motioned for the others to follow him, and they did so.

 _'Scar? That must be the king's brother who was arguing with him earlier. It was obvious he wasn't happy with his brother on the throne, he's probably planning something. Best to go see exactly what he plans, if anything at all.'_ Tobi thought, and gave Nagato a subtle nod, who returned it

As the cubs followed Simba, they caught sight of a lanky brown lion with an onyx mane, and watched as he angrily kicked half a bone off the edge of Pride Rock. Scar's ears perked up and he sighed in annoyance.

"Hey uncle Scar, guess what!" Simba bounded up to him, and Scar looked around at the cubs.

"I _despise_ guessing games.." he drawled with annoyance.

 _'Yes, he's certainly unhappy with his position as a subordinate. But then, to be ranked lower than an annoying cub would be rather humiliating.'_ Tobi watched their exchange with interest.

"I'm gonna be king of Pride Rock!" Simba boasted, puffing out his chest.

" _Oh goody..._ " Scar sighed with sarcasm.

"Who are they?" he asked, lazily pointing a claw at the Akatsuki cubs.

"Oh, they're my new friends! They call themselves The Akatsuki, dunno why. Hey guys, come over here and introduce yourselves!" Simba waved a paw at them to come over.

"Allow me to go first. I am Pein, the leader of our group, and this is Konan, my second in command." Nagato started, and Konan nodded at Scar.

 _'Surprisingly eloquent for a cub.._ _'_ Scar thought with a hint of surprise.

"I'm Kisame, the group's hunter." Kisame flashed Scar his trademark grin.

 _'He has an awful lot of teeth... and he's blue... odd.'_ Scar quirked an eyebrow.

"I'm Deidara, and I make art, hm!" Deidara smirked at Scar, tilting his nose up at him.

 _'Hmph, an arrogant one. Art, he says? Sounds like those silly drawings Rafiki does in his tree.'_

"And I'm Tobi! Tobi likes orange!" Tobi finished, bouncing up and down.

 _'Ancestors, he's worse than Simba!'_ Scar resisted a tired facepalm and instead proceeded with his plan to lure Simba, and perhaps the other cubs, into the elephant graveyard.

"Yes, well, forgive me for not leaping for joy, bad back you know..." Scar trailed off and slumped onto the ground.

* * *

"Hey Scar! When I'm king, what'll that make you?" Simba asked, jumping on Scar.

"A monkey's uncle."

"Haha, you're so weird!" Simba laughed.

"You have _no_ idea. So, your father showed you the whole kingdom, did he?" Scar got up and asked.

"Yeah!"

"But he didn't show you what's beyond the rise at the northern border?"

"He's obviously trying to manipulate him or lead him into a trap. I suggest we play along for now, and if things get dicey we tread carefully." Tobi whispered to Nagato as they watched the exchange.

"Well no. He said I couldn't go there..." Simba's ears drooped in disappointment.

"And he's _absolutely_ right, it's _far_ too dangerous, only the bravest lions go there..." Scar looked in the general direction of the place he described.

"Well I'm brave! What's out there?"

"I'm sorry Simba, I just _can't_ tell you" by now it was obvious to the Akatsuki that he was luring him into a trap, but Nagato whispered that they were to go along with it and see what information they could gather.

 _'Boy, this kid is dense...'_ Deidara thought as he watched the little sucker fall right into Scar's trap.

"An elephant graveyard is no place for a young prince and his companions.. _Oops!_ " Scar feigned shock and covered his mouth with a paw.

"An elephant what? Whoa..." Simba looked ecstatic at the prospect of adventure, while Scar smiled with evil glee.

"Oh _dear,_ I said too much! Well I suppose you and your friends would have found out sooner or later, you being _so_ clever and all" Scar gushed, inflating Simba's ego.

Deidara couldn't help but snicker slightly at that, because Simba was _far_ from clever at the moment.

"Just promise me you and your friends will never visit that _dreadful_ place?" Scar said in a fake sweet tone, pulling Simba to him with a paw.

"No problem." Simba said in a tone that clearly said it _was_ a problem.

"Good, now run along with your friends and stay out of trouble!" Scar shooed him and the others away with a triumphant smirk on his face.

 _'Things are getting interesting...'_ Kisame thought with a grin. He was looking forward to some danger.

* * *

 **That chapter ended up longer than expected, since I was originally going to start with the scene with Scar, but I went with some other scenes as well. Next chapter the gang go through "I Just Can't Wait To Be King!" and get to the elephant graveyard. Drop a review if you want, I could use critiques.**


	4. Chapter 4: I Just Can't Wait

**Thanks for the follow, princessbinas! Also to answer your review DarkWolfX51: Yes, Scar suspects there is something weird going on with the Akatsuki cubs, but he doesn't know much yet. This chapter covers the "I Just Can't Wait To Be King" sequence, and the next chapter starts at the elephant graveyard. Also, one of the Akatsuki members finally regains one of their rather... _destructive_ traits in this chapter, even if it's just a little bit. Konan and Nala have a little girl-to-girl chat as well.**

"Cmon guys, let's go get Nala so we can go to that cool place!" Simba and the Akatsuki cubs-minus Hidan-came running down Pride Rock, towards an area where lionesses were sunbathing.

Simba ran up to a peach-furred lioness cub being bathed by her mother and whispered his new findings,

"Hey Nala, we just found out about this _really_ cool place! You gotta come with us!"

"Simba, I'm kinda in the middle of a _bath._ " Nala said through gritted teeth.

"And it's time for yours!" A new voice piped up, and Simba was grabbed by Sarabi.

As he was groomed, the Akatsuki cubs looked on with mildly disgusted expressions.

"Eeugh, I'll never understand why cats lick themselves to get clean. I'd never like tasting everywhere I've been." Kisame stuck his tongue out with a frown.

"Okay, okay I'm clean! Can we go now?" Simba asked grumpily.

"So where are we going? It better not be anyplace _dumb._ " Nala piped up.

"No, it's really cool!" Simba replied with a mischievous look on his face.

"So where is this _really cool_ place?" Sarabi asked.

"Oh, uh... around the waterhole!" Simba quickly made up an excuse.

"The waterhole! What's so great about the waterhole?" Nala exclaimed with exasperation.

"I'll _show you_ when we _get there!_ " Simba implied through clenched teeth.

"Oh... Uh, mom, can I go with Simba and the other cubs?" Nala asked Sarafina.

"Depends, do the other cub's parents approve?" she looked at the group of cubs expectantly.

"We don't have parents." Kisame deadpanned.

"...Well, in that case, what do you think Sarabi?" Sarafina asked her best friend.

"Well..." Sarabi pondered.

"Pleeeaase?" Simba and Nala asked with cheesy grins on their faces.

"It's alright with me..." Sarabi nodded, and Simba and Nala jumped for joy.

"...as long as Zazu goes with you" she finished.

"No, not Zazu!" Simba and Kisame groaned.

 _'That damn bird again... can't have him preventing me from learning about this possible coup de'tat. I'll try to get him alone, knock him out perhaps...'_ Tobi thought as he followed the others

* * *

"Step lively! The sooner we get to the waterhole, the sooner we can leave!" Zazu yelled from above the group of cubs.

"Stupid bird... I'd like to see how smug he looks with a face full of explosives!" Deidara muttered angrily.

"But Deidara-senpai, you can't use your explosives!" Tobi pointed out.

"Shut up Tobi! I'll be able to use them again soon, and when I do this world will finally see true art!" Deidara had practiced manipulating his chi, and found that if he concentrated hard enough he could transfer some of his chi into objects and make them explode. He'd only done it once successfully however, and he'd collapsed afterwards.

"Remember, we're doing this to gather intel about a possible plan to usurp the king. Harming the majordomo would be a bad move." Nagato chided.

"Pity. Smug bird could do with being knocked down a peg." Kisame muttered.

"Hey... you're Konan, right?" Nala had padded over to Konan, interested in getting to know another girl.

"Yes, is there something you wish to ask me?" Konan replied in a neutral tone.

"Well you're the only other girl cub I know, and I kinda wanted to... get to know you." Nala fidgeted nervously.

"Pein and I strive to bring peace to the world, that is all I can tell you." Konan said simply.

"Oh... well, maybe you could tell me what it's like being around those guys?" Nala lowered her ears in disappointment.

"It is interesting. They are amusing at times, but N-Pein is the only one I fully trust." Konan replied with a glance at said cub.

"So you guys are like best friends? Like me and Simba?" Nala perked her ears up curiously.

"Yes... I suppose..." Konan muttered, and the faintest blush tinged her cheeks.

"Well... thanks for talking to me!" Nala smiled and padded back over to Simba.

* * *

"So Simba... where are we _really_ going? Why are they going with us?" she nodded towards the other cubs.

"Well, I introduced them to uncle Scar, and since they were there when I found out about the place I figured they should come too. Also, we're actually going to an elephant graveyard." Simba whispered eagerly.

"Wow!" Nala exclaimed, unable to contain her excitement.

"Shhh! Zazu!" Simba shushed her and gestured at the bird above them.

"Right... so how are we gonna ditch the dodo?" she asked.

"Well, here's the plan..." Simba began whispering to Nala conspiratorially

Zazu saw the two conversing and flew down to land next to them.

"Aah, just look at you two, little seeds of romance blossoming in the savannah! Your parents will be thrilled! What with you being betrothed and all." he gushed with a smile.

"Be-what?" Simba asked with confusion.

"Betrothed! Intended, afianced!" Zazu continued.

"It means you are to be married when you become adults." Konan interjected.

"Yuck!" "Ew!" The two cubs looked disgusted at the prospect.

"I can't marry her, she's my best friend!" Simba protested.

"Yeah, it'd be too weird!" Nala agreed with a shake of her head.

"Tobi thinks you two would make a great couple!" Tobi came over and flung petals over the duo, earning a fierce glare from Nala.

"Eheh..." Tobi gulped and Deidara whacked him for his silly behavior.

The majordomo scoffed, "Well, sorry to bust your bubble, but you two turtledoves have no choice! It's a tradition going back generations!" Simba silently mocked Zazu as he talked and Kisame snickered.

"Well when I'm king, that'll be the first thing to go." Simba said with a grin.

"Not so long as I'm around!" Zazu replied.

"Well in that case you're fired." Simba replied confidently.

"Hmm, nice try, but only the king can do that." Zazu said with a smug tone.

"Well technically he's the future king." Kisame added, padding up to the bird.

"Yeah, so that means you have to do what I tell you!" Simba grinned, poking Zazu.

 _'I like this kid's attitude.'_ Kisame thought.

"Not yet I don't, and with an attitude like that you're shaping up to be a pretty pathetic king indeed!" Zazu spluttered with indignation.

* * *

"Not the way I see it!" Simba said with a grin, and jumped.

 _"I'm gonna be a mighty king, so enemies beware!"_ Simba sang, chasing Zazu.

"He... broke into song?" Deidara wondered with confusion.

"As long as _I_ don't have to sing, I'm fine to go along with this." Kisame said with a shrug.

 _"I'm brushin' up on lookin' down, I'm workin' on my ROAR!"_ Simba had gotten on top of a log, and "Roared" at Zazu, causing the bird to fall into a puddle.

 _"Thus far a rather, unispiring thing..."_ Zazu wiped himself on something fuzzy, which turned out to be Kisame. With a feral grin he gave the bird a whack with his paw and sent him flying.

 _"Oh I just can't wait to be king!" t_ he gang were all running across a shallow lake, and stopped in some reeds where Zazu was.

 _"You've got a long way to go young master, if you think..."_ Zazu protested, pointing a feather at them.

 _"No-one saying 'Do this!' "_ Simba sang, and Nala made a silly face at Zazu when his back was turned.

 _"Now, when I said that..."_

 _"No-one saying 'Be there!' "_ Nala sang when Zazu turned back to her. At this point Kisame had joined in the mocking and was making silly faces too. Even Tobi was doing it, as well as he could with a mask on.

 _"What I meant was..."_

 _"No-one saying 'Stop that!' "_ Simba was struggling to contain a giggle.

 _"What you don't realize..."_ Zazu caught Nala and Tobi making faces at him, and turned to see Kisame and Simba doing likewise.

 _"No-one saying 'See here!' "_ Simba and Nala sang, while Kisame snapped at Zazu.

 _"Now **see here!** " _Zazu yelled furiously while holding his tail feathers.

 _"Free to run around all day..." t_ he gang were now riding ostriches through a plain.

 _"Well that's definitely out!"_ Zazu took off after them.

 _"Free to do it all my way!"_ Simba finished with a grin on his face.

 _"I think it's time that you and I, arranged a heart-to-heart!"_ Zazu flew in front of him and said, but slammed into a rhino by accident.

 _"King's don't need advice, from pompous hornbills for a start!"_ Kisame yelled to the hornbill from his ostrich.

 _"If this is where the monarchy is headed count me out! Out of service, out of Africa, I wouldn't hang about! This child is getting wildly out of wing..."_ Zazu landed on a log, falling down a waterfall and flying back up.

 _"Oh I just can't **wait** to be king!" t_he cubs went through two columns of zebra who hailed Simba, and turned around when Zazu caught up. Afterwards they ran into a herd of stomping elephants, and while Simba and Nala bounced around like they were on clouds, the rest of the group wasn't doing so well.

* * *

"Uwaaah! Help me Deidara-senpai! It's the things that stepped on my tail!" Tobi was frantically jumping and stumbling, trying to avoid the mass of huge legs. Deidara just smirked and watched the display, but he ended up being trod on himself.

"Yeoww! You stupid beast, I'll show you true art!" Deidara concentrated and pushed a bit of his chi under the elephants. Instinctively, he clapped his front paws together before unleashing an explosion.

"Ha!" The ground shook with a small explosion, causing the elephants to scatter in fright. Deidara laughed, but it died down as he staggered and flopped over, unconscious

 _'What was that?!'_ Zazu thought from above, baffled.

"Relax, I'll get him." Kisame had been avoiding the elephants with Nagato and Konan, with only a small bruise or two to show for it. He picked Deidara up with his teeth and pulled him onto his back. Luckily he was large enough to hold the weight and managed to catch up to the others fast. Tobi was trailing after him, oddly unscathed, and sobbing over his "friend".

 _"Everybody look left!"_ Simba was on top of a giraffe, and back to singing.

 _"Everybody look right!"_ Zazu was being trampled by the moving animals.

 _"Everywhere you look I'm..."_

 _"Standin' spotliiight!"_ Simba posed on a giraffe.

 _"Not yet!"_ Zazu protested.

 _"Every creature go for broke and sing!"_ the animals all began to sing along.

 _"Let's hear it from the bird and on the wing!"_

 _"It's gonna be king Simba's finest fling!"_ a group of giraffes tossed the cubs into the air.

 _"Oh I just can't wait to be king!"_ the animals, Simba and Nala all sang together as the cubs rose on a tower of animals.

 _"Oh I just can't wait to be king!"_ the cubs were on top of the tower now, sitting on a large ostrich. Konan was so caught up in the moment that she sang along herself, to the bewilderment of Nagato. Her response was just to grin at him in mirth, causing him to gain a very small smile.

 _"Oh I just can't waaaaaaiiiit..."_ the tower way swaying now, and Simba, Nala, Tobi and Konan were waving their front paws in the air.

 _"To be kiiiing!"_ the trio finished the song, and the cubs jumped off before the tower collapsed. Kisame dropped Deidara by accident in the process, and he landed on the ground with a loud thud.

 _'Ouch... heh, he'll be feeling that when he wakes up.'_ Kisame grinned and pulled Deidara onto his back again.

"Yeah, we did it! Now let's go before the dodo finds us!" Nala laughed with triumph, and the cubs ran off.

 _'I suppose that problem solved itself.'_ thought Tobi.

Zazu had been at the bottom of the animal tower, and was crushed by the rhino on top of him when it collapsed.

"I beg your pardon madam, but... **get _off!_ ** Simba? Nala? Strange cubs?" Zazu asked with a muffled voice.

* * *

The cubs finally slowed down behind some rocks, puffing. Kisame let Deidara slide onto the ground, his light pelt all covered in bruises.

"All right it worked!" Simba said with glee.

"It was actually pretty fun... aside from the singing that is. That bird finally got what was coming to him." Kisame cuffed Simba's shoulder in a friendly manner, and occupied himself with stalking a nearby rat.

"Konan... what was that?" Nagato asked Konan, who still had a shadow of a smile on her face.

"I'm sorry, I was distracted... it's just been a long time since I've felt so carefree." Konan wiped the smile of her face, but looked to the sky as if remembering something.

"...well, I'll let it pass, since it didn't really interrupt anything." Nagato replied. In truth, he'd liked hearing Konan sing, and he liked seeing her happy. But he had to make sure not to lose sight of their goals.

"Hey, Kisame? Is Deidara-senpai gonna be okay? He doesn't look so good..." Tobi was sitting next to Deidara's body, poking it and looking dejected.

"He'll be fine.. just a bit sore when he wakes up." Kisame held a terrified rat in his claws, savoring every moment of it's anguish.

As if on cue, a moan sounded from the beaten up cub. Deidara tried to get up, but yelped in pain.

"Aaagh! What the hell?! I feel like I got hit by a tailed beast!" Deidara shakily got up, but fell over quickly.

"Yeah. I carried you after you passed out. I might've... dropped you a few times. You probably fractured a rib, at the least." Kisame gulped down the rat and shrugged nonchalantly.

"Deidara! You're okay!" Tobi enveloped Deidara in a crushing hug, causing the cub to give a yell of pain.

"AAaaaughh! G-get off Tobi, you're making it worse!" Deidara was helpless, but a look from Nagato made Tobi let go.

"You shouldn't have used your chi so recklessly, Deidara. It's drained you badly, had you just used a fraction more, or lost concentration, it could have killed you. Chi is only to be used in dire situations, remember that." Nagato scolded, and Deidara nodded.

"I could use my chi to heal him Pein, at least a small amount. He needs to be mobile." Konan interjected as she padded over.

"Go ahead, but don't exhaust yourself..." Nagato allowed her past.

 _'Be careful...'_

Konan placed her forepaws on Deidara and closed her eyes. She wasn't particularly skilled in healing jutsu, but she could help. She concentrated intensely, and a green glow surrounded her paws. Deidara's bruises began to heal, and any splintered bones fixed themselves. When she stopped, he was still sore, but the worst of his injuries were gone. Konan felt woozy, and her vision flickered a bit. Nagato saw this and moved to steady her.

"Thank you.. I'll be alright." Konan stood more firmly after a few seconds, and Nagato moved off her.

"Rarr!" the cubs turned and saw Nala and Simba tumbling down a ledge.

As they followed, the land seemed to get darker and devoid of color. They looked up, and saw a grey, rocky plain covered in bones in front of them.

"Pinned ya again!" Nala said when the pair stopped. The two got up and gazed with awe and slight fear at the grim place.

"Sweet, we made it!" Simba grinned.

"...festive." Kisame joked, picking up a small rib bone before flicking it away.

"It's really creepy..." Nala whispered.

"Yeah... cmon guys, let's go check it out!" Simba smirked and led the cubs into the spooky elephant graveyard.

* * *

 **This was another biiiig chapter, even longer than the last. I keep adding in little sprinkles of Akatsuki goodness to the scenes to spice them up. As a little bonus, you'll probably have caught a glimpse of a future pairing! I've always thought the two fit well together, and I've decided they'll get closer over time. It's not Simba and Nala, but those two are gonna be paired too of course. Poor Deidara can't catch a break, it seems. Finally makes something explode but gets all banged up thanks to Kisame's reckless movement. Konan does have access to healing jutsu with her chi, but she's average at it at best. And yes, I decided she should enjoy herself and drop her neutral mask, if only for a little bit. I have a big question for you guys, regarding a plot point up the road. When the stampede happens, should I split the group up and have a cub or two stay behind with Nala instead of following Simba? Only a max of two, since I want Simba to have company. There's one I will probably leave behind, but I want your opinions. They'll either believe the exiles are dead like Nala, or will find out otherwise. Next time, the gang get chased by a trio of hyenas, and Scar sings his evil, evil song...with an audience watching. So, drop a review if you want, and see you in the next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5: Trap

**Thanks to TitanVoid for favoriting! As an answer to the 2 new reviews: Deidara's luck is pretty bad, and it's gonna get worse. As for how The Akatsuki react to the hyenas, you might be surprised. In this chapter, the gang go from the elephant graveyard to the end of "Be Prepared".**

The cubs were about to walk into a large elephant skull when a disgruntled Zazu flew in front of them.

"Wrong! The only checking out we'll be doing is the checking out of here! We're _way_ beyond the boundary of The Pridelands..." Zazu shooed them away, Kisame growling at him.

"Looks like banana beak is scared!" Simba mocked.

"That's _Mister Banana Beak_ to you fuzzy, and right now we are all in very real danger.." Zazu poked Simba, looking around fearfully.

"Danger? Hah! I walk on the wild side. I laugh in the face of danger, ha ha ha ha!" Simba laughed confidently, but got a shock when more laughs responded to him.

 _'I was expecting this. Hopefully I won't have to resort to my chi. Maybe Deidara's explosives could actually be useful...'_ Tobi thought.

Three wolf-like creatures emerged from the skull, hyenas. They were cackling wildy, with a female in the lead. Simba and Nala were shaking slightly, but the Akatsuki cubs remained unfazed.

"Well well well, Banzai, what have we got here?" she asked the male to her left.

"Hmm, I dunno Shenzi... what do you think, Ed?" Banzai asked the other male. Ed just laughed crazily and drooled as a reply.

"Yeah, just what I was thinkin'.. an octet of outsiders!" Banzai alliterated.

"And quite by accident, I assure you! A simple navigational error..." Zazu turned nervously.

"Really bird? I think we could take them, eight against three and all." Kisame was itching to fight something challenging.

"Ohhh, a smart guy huh?" Banzai pushed his nose against Kisame's and the two glared at each other.

"Whoa whoa whoa, wait, wait, wait. I know you. You're Mufasa's little _stooge!_ " Shenzi interrupted by putting a paw over Zazu's tailfeathers.

* * *

"I, _madam,_ am the king's majordomo!" Zazu bragged, and the hyena trio circled the cubs.

"So that would make you.." Banzai looked at Simba expectantly.

"The future king!" Simba replied angrily.

 _'That idiot. He's goading them and making himself vulnerable!'_ Deidara thought with a groan.

"Do you know what we do to kings who step outta their kingdoms?" Shenzi showed her teeth with a feral grin.

"Pfft, you can't do anything to me!" Simba said defiantly.

"Ehh, technically they can. We are on their land!" Zazu muttered nervously.

"But Zazu, you said they were just slobbering, mangy, stupid poachers!" Simba said innocently.

 _'What the hell is wrong with this kid? He's even denser than Tobi!'_ Deidara was clutching his mane tuft in frustration.

"Iksnay on the upistay..." Zazu muttered.

"Who you callin' upidstay?" Banzai growled.

"Ah, shut it bird!" Kisame unsheathed his claws near Zazu's neck, causing him to gulp and nod profusely. Nala tried to sneak away, but Shenzi caught her.

"What's the hurry? We'd _love_ for you to stick around for-" Shenzi stopped midsentence as she caught sight of Tobi's mask.

"What is that thing?" she asked, pointing to it.

"Oooh, puppy!" Tobi piped up, and patted her nose with a paw.

"..what." Shenzi was at a loss for words, face frozen in an expression of utter confusion.

"Cmon' he's distracting them, let's run!" Simba whispered to the others, and so they did.

"Awww, you're so cute!" Tobi was still patting the hyenas, when Ed began making frantic gestures.

"What, Ed?" Shenzi asked in exasperation.

"Hey, they're gettin' away!" Banzai shouted, and the three ran after them. Tobi was left forgotten, but ran after them anyway.

* * *

As the cubs ran, Nagato decided Deidara would come in handy.

"Deidara! Plant some chi in the ground and detonate it when the creatures get to it!" Deidara nodded, and skidded to a halt. He concentrated, trying to forget the hyenas chasing them, and transferred a small amount of chi into the ground. Spotting the hyenas nearing him, he ran after the others and looked back. Seeing them almost up to the spot, Deidara clapped his front paws together and detonated the chi.

"HA! W-hoaa!" Deidara tripped and rolled over due to taking his front paws off the ground, but heard an explosion nonetheless.

"Waaaah!" the hyenas reacted in fright, and while they got some burns they escaped the full impact of the blast. The cubs stopped, Deidara doing so with an "Oof!"

"I think we lost em'... where's Zazu?" Simba panted, while said bird was launched into the sky by the hyenas.

"Hey! Pick on someone your own size!" Simba came up to them and growled.

 _'Idiot!'_ Deidara thought, and facepalmed. He was feeling woozy too, dampening his mood further.

"Like.. you?" Shenzi asked.

"Oops."

The cubs were chased by the hyenas, and they popped out of some red geysers with a "Boo!". Simba and Nala were frightened, but the Akatsuki were used to combat situations and were mostly calm. Tobi saw this from a distance and decided it would be best to hang back and see what happened.

The group ran up a hill of bones, but Deidara started tripping, and finally fell unconscious from his chi use. Konan also caught a paw on a rib and Nala slipped.

 _'Of all the times, Deidara!'_ Kisame thought with exasperation, running to grab him.

"Why do I always have to save your ass?" he grumbled as he pulled him onto his back.

Simba managed to grab Nala, but Konan slid further down, closer to the jaws of the hyenas. Nagato and Kisame ran to help her, Kisame clawing Shenzi hard while Nagato pulled her back up. The cubs ran into a cave and onto a large set of ribs. Simba and Nala attemped to jump higher, but broke the old skin they were standing on and fell down, and Kisame dropped Deidara. The hyenas approached them slowly, laughing sinisterly. Kisame defiantly stood and growled, ready to take them on. Nagato stood protectively in front of Konan, Simba doing likewise with Nala. Deidara lay limp on the ground but roused slightly. He opened his eyes to see the hyenas and scrambled to stand by Kisame.

* * *

"What the he-aaaugh! Damnit, what happened this time?!" Deidara asked angrily, but fell over from pain.

"Here kitty kitty kitty..." Banzai mocked, and Simba tried to roar at them. By now Tobi had caught up and was peering into the cave.

"Rarr, rarr rarr!" Simba growled, sounding rather pathetic.

"Hah, that was it? Do it again, come on..." Shenzi grinned.

"ROOOOAAAARR!" a huge and very real roar sounded, and the hyenas stopped in confusion.

Mufasa stormed into the cave, whacking the hyenas with his paws and roaring. Zazu appeared and landed by the cubs, and Mufasa knocked the hyenas down with his mighty strength.

"SILENCE!" he roared at the babbling trio.

"Oh, yeah, we'll shut up right now!" Banzai nodded fearfully.

"If you _ever_ come near my son again..." Mufasa snarled.

"What are we, chopped liver?" Kisame asked, attempting to lighten the mood. Zazu shushed him, or at least tried to. He ended up with one less tail feather instead.

"Oh, this was _your_ son?" Shenzi lied.

"Oh, _your_ son? We didn't know, no!" Banzai piped up.

"No, of course not!"

"Ed?" The two hyenas asked the third. He nodded profusely, enraging Mufasa.

"Heh heh.. toodles!" Banzai waved, then the three ran off yelping.

* * *

Zazu landed beside Mufasa and nodded triumphantly, but shrank back when he was glared at.

"Dad, I-" Simba came up to his father and started to apologize.

"You deliberately disobeyed me!" Mufasa growled at him

"Dad I-I'm sorry..." Simba's ears lowered in sadness.

"Let's go home!" Mufasa said sternly.

"Wait, sire! One of the cubs is missing! The one with the orange... thing on his face." Zazu looked around worriedly.

"Don't worry, I saw him running after us, he'll be bound to catch up." Nagato said.

"...I hope so. I would hate it if a life has been lost because of this venture." Mufasa sighed, and began to lead the others away.

 _'Hmmm... so it seems they'll be alright. Though, I sense someone else is watching this. I'll use my sharingan.'_ Tobi thought as he saw the rest move to leave. He closed his eye and concentrated on his chi. When he opened it again, it was crimson red with the usual three black tomoe. He had gotten better at maintaining it, so he could hold it for longer. As he scanned the cave, he spotted something hiding on a ledge above. On closer inspection, it appeared to be the king's brother, Scar.

 _'So I was right, this was a trap. Seems he sent those hyenas to kill Simba, so that he would be next in line for the throne. I'll follow him, see what he does now he's failed.'_ As Tobi saw Scar turn to leave, he deactivated his sharingan and silently snuck forward.

Scar shivered. He could have sworn something had been watching him, something sinister. He hoped that his plan wasn't discovered or he could be exiled for treason. Either way, he turned and made his way into a large geyser cavern, none the wiser to the cub following him.

* * *

"Charmed" Scar said with sarcasm. Tobi had walked into the cavern and peered out from behind a rock.

"Oooh, I like that! He's not king but he's still so proper!" Shenzi mimed a fancy pose.

"Hey, didja bring us anything to eat? Eh Scar, old buddy, old pal? Didja didja didja?" Banzai asked eagerly.

"I don't think you really deserve this..." Scar drawled as he pulled out a zebra haunch and held it between his talons. The hyenas drooled and snapped at the meat held before them as Scar continued, "I practically gift-wrapped those cubs for you, and you couldn't even dispose of _them..._ " he said with a frown, and dropped the meat to the waiting carnivores, who snapped it up.

 _'That lazy lion could've done it, if he'd brought more hyenas and himself. Well.. he'd have gotten the prince and his friend at least. Those three aren't intelligent enough for much. I distracted them easily.'_ Tobi's opinion of Scar as a strategist was lowering by the minute.

"Well y'know... there were a lot of em'' Shenzi said with a full mouth.

"Yeah, and one of em, like, set a trap or something. Made the ground shake and burn." Banzai chimed in. Scar's ears perked up at this, and he asked,

"Really? How so?"

"Well, we were runnin' after them, and suddenly the ground crumbled and threw fire. We still have some burns from it, no idea how it happened." Shenzi said, pointing to a burn on her shoulder for emphasis.

"Hmm..." Scar pondered this new information.

 _'They could just have run into some fire. Then again, I doubt they'd explain something with such interest unless they actually witnessed it. There is certainly something very off with those strange cubs...'_ Scar put a paw on his chin in thought.

 _'Good thing they didn't see **who** set the bomb. I wouldn't want my members kidnapped. Then again, I still doubt his abilities.' _Tobi thought with a frown.

"...yeah, what're we supposed to do? *gulp* Kill Mufasa?" Banzai joked, but scar simply smirked.

"Precisely..." Scar replied and the hyenas looked up in confusion. Scar jumped down from his perch, landing in the middle of the hyenas and causing them to scatter.

 _'Going straight for the king this time? It'd be best if I stay here for a bit and see what he plans. Hopefully the others haven't gotten too far.'_ Tobi settled down on top of a rock, watching.

* * *

 _"I know that your powers of retention..."_ Scar broke into song and Tobi facepalmed.

 _"...are as wet, as a warthog's backside!"_ Scar circled Ed, who was gnawing a bone.

 _"But as thick as you are, pay attention! Your words are a matter of pride!"_ Scar whacked the bone away, causing Ed to stand to attention.

 _"It's clear from your vacant expression, that the lights are not all on upstairs!"_ Scar waved his paw in front of Ed's face, and Ed winked with a silly expression.

 _"But we're talking kings and successions..."_ Scar crouched, and got ready to pounce.

 _"Even **you** can't be caught unawares!" _Scar jumped over to Banzai and Shenzi, sending them flying due to them landing on geysers.

 _'Kami, he's going to explain it through song isn't he? Oh well, I've endured worse.'_ Tobi sighed, holding his face up with a paw.

 _"So prepare for the chance of a lifetime! Be prepared for **sensational** news!" _Scar began climbing a rock.

 _"A shiny new era, is tiptoeing nearer!"_ Scar tiptoed up the rock.

 _"But where do we feature?"_ Shenzi asked.

 _"Just listen to teacher..."_ Scar pinched Shenzi's cheek and kept going.

 _"I know it sounds sordid, but you'll be rewarded! When at last I am given my dues!"_ Scar made it to a bone pile, where Banzai was gnawing a bone.

 _"And injustice, deliciously squared!"_ Scar kicked the hyena off the pile with a grin.

 _"Be pre-paaared!"_

* * *

As he explained his plan to kill Mufasa and Simba to the hyenas, Tobi watched with boredom.

 _'What kind of idiot shouts his plan to the world? Let alone sings it! At least this is useful information...'_

 _" **I** will be king! Stick with me, and you'll **never** go hungry again!" _Scar shouted to an army of hyenas from atop a tall rock.

As the hyenas hailed Scar and began marching in an odd way, Tobi took in the sheer amount of the creatures.

 _'There are a lot of them. That fool could have easily killed the cubs with them, even taken_ _over Pride Rock! I'll use **my** army much more effectively...' _Tobi thought of his plans for a white zetsu army, but was pulled back to reality when he heard a loud voice.

 ** _"YOU WON'T GET A SNIFF WITHOUT ME!"_** Scar shouted at a hyena who fell down a crevice.

 _"So prepare, for the coup of the century! Prepare for the murkiest scam!"_ the rocks began to rapidly crack and rise due to building geysers, even affecting the one Tobi was on. He quickly hopped off and ran to more stable ground. Tobi swore Scar's voice sounded a bit different, probably due to the strain the shout had caused his voice.

 _"Meticulous planning, tenacity spanning!"_ Scar was on a rock that kept rising higher and higher, the hyenas singing along in the background.

 _"Decades of **denial!** Is simply why I'll..." _Scar's rock began to slow, he was now above the hyenas, and Tobi had to strain to keep sight of him

 _"Be king undisputed, respected, saluted! And seen for the wonder I am!"_ Scar shouted, almost spluttering.

 _"Yes my teeth and ambitions are bared, be pre-paaared!"_ the hyenas were going wild, one even playing a set of ribs like a xylophone.

 _"Yes our teeth and ambitions are bared..."_ the hyenas echoed.

 _"Be pre-paaaaaared! Muahahahahaa!"_ Scar finished, the hyenas cackling as he laughed.

Tobi deactivated his sharingan with a puff, glad it was finally over. He was sweating from the strain on his chi and had a headache. He decided to leave with his intel before he was missed. Tobi scampered off, without anyone having noticed his presence... except for one hyena pup. She wasn't even sure what she saw was actually there, so just shook her head and decided to ignore it for the time being.

* * *

"Hey guys! Tobi made it!" Tobi ran up to the Akatsuki cubs, who were all following Zazu. Mufasa had pulled Simba aside for a talk and instructed the majordomo to take the others home.

"Great... there goes my hope that he died, hm!" Deidara grumbled.

"He always survives, Deidara. You should know by now that you can't get rid of him." Kisame poked the cub, who yelped in pain.

"What the hell! What did you do to me? Every time you've carried me I've woken up battered. Konan, can't you just heal me again?" Deidara looked to the lilac cub hopefully.

"I've already told you Deidara, it would overexert her. Your injuries aren't as serious as last time, and will heal quickly." Nagato responded. He'd stuck close to Konan since they started the journey back, wanting to make sure she wouldn't get injured further.

"Deidara-senpai!" Tobi came bounding up to Deidara, who quickly protested.

"No, nonono-aaaauugh!" Tobi hugged Deidara, seemingly oblivious to the pain he was causing.

"Y-you should've gotten eaten by those hyenas!" Deidara growled while trying to push him off.

"I wonder what Hidan's gonna think of all this when we get back..." Kisame said with a grin.

* * *

 **Okay, we're nearing the end of Mufasa's lifespan! Next chapter covers the stampede. Two cubs will be staying behind with Nala, I won't say who. Also, next chapter someone pops up who hasn't made an appearance since chapter 1. He's still mad about the lack of cash, but makes a living in his own way as a rogue. He'll regain a partner too. Stay tuned for the next chapter, and drop a review if you want!**


	6. Chapter 6: Split

**Thanks to jerry24 for leaving a fav and Clinpipe for following! This chapter the zombie combo gets reformed, and Scar's evil plan is executed...**

"I can't believe we got off almost clean after that elephant graveyard incident. Sure, we couldn't do anything without supervision for a few days, but that beats what Simba got!" Kisame was talking to Deidara, the group finally being let go without lionesses watching them.

"I dunno. I hate being unable to make my art, hm!" Deidara kicked at a rock in frustration.

"That's probably a good thing. You could make the whole rock collapse if you blew anything up around it." Konan replied.

"At least you guys got to fucking go somewhere. I like sacrificing, but it's damn boring when all I can use are pathetic mice!" Hidan threw a mouse he was holding on the ground, splattering it's blood around.

The cubs split up. Kisame went to go stalk a rat, Nagato and Konan wandered off together and Deidara went to find some clay, Tobi trailing after him. Hidan found himself alone and went to go find something more interesting to do. He spotted a cub padding near him, and recognized his odd eyes.

"Is that Kakuzu? The bastard should've stayed with us. Damn miser wouldn't have found any money anyway. Maybe he's going somewhere dangerous..." Hidan ran over to him, and when Kakuzu recognized him he resisted snapping his neck.

"What do you want?" Kakuzu asked in his usual neutral tone. He seemed to have filled out a bit, and was quite a large cub. His black mane tufts had grown a bit as well

"Well, it's boring as hell around here, and I figured you'd know where to find some action." Hidan was almost running trying to keep up with Kakuzu's speedwalk.

"...No." Kakuzu deadpanned.

"Oh come _on!_ You had to have been doing something after you pissed off."

"I'm a bounty hunter. I kill or kidnap targets and get paid." Kakuzu kept looking straight ahead and tried to ignore the foulmouthed cub at his side.

"Paid in what? There's no damn money in this place!" Hidan replied.

"Food. Favors. I take what payment I can get." Kakuzu's eyebrow was twitching with annoyance.

"Pfft, some pay-" Hidan was cut off when his head was... _cut off._ Kakuzu had blown a pressurized line of air at him with such force it sliced his head clean off.

"What the hell did you do that for?!" Hidan's head yelled.

"You were annoying me." _'Damnit, I still can't get rid of him.'_ Kakuzu thought grumpily.

"Sew it back on you bastard!" Hidan growled.

"No." Kakuzu began to pad away.

"Uhh.. I'll pay you!" Hidan blurted, and Kakuzu faltered.

"How?"

"I can help you with these bounties. I can still perform pain rituals correctly, and I guess I could bring you some food or... something?" Hidan grinned nervously.

"...fine." Kakuzu padded over to the head and concentrated, focusing his chi. He extended his arm so that his threads were exposed, and began to sew Hidan's head back onto his body.

A lioness spotted the odd pair, and watched with a horrified expression as a cub sewed another cub's severed head onto it's body - which was swearing at him in pain. Her name was Kiujanja, and she was a bit odd looking compared to most pridelanders. She had a slim build and a longer muzzle. Her fur was grey-brown, and she had three dark brown spots under her left eye. Kiujanja almost fainted on the spot, but turned and threw up instead. She shakily ran back to Pride rock, pale as bone.

"...Uh, I think someone saw us." Hidan said as he watched the lioness run away.

"She'll think it was a hallucination." Kakuzu replied and sewed on the last thread, snapping Hidan's head back into place.

"Damnit! Be more careful!" Hidan growled as he rubbed his sore neck.

"That costs extra. Come on, we're wasting time." Kakuzu began running toward grasslands, Hidan following behind him.

* * *

"This land is... rather peaceful." Konan commented as she sat next to Nagato and looked at the horizon.

"Yes... no wars, everything living in harmony. The lions are even at peace with their prey. This is what our world will be like when our plan succeeds." Nagato saw something moving and noticed a nearby yellow butterfly. As it fluttered he had to resist a sudden urge to bat at it with a paw. It alighted on Konan's nose, making her go cross eyed and chuckle slightly. Nagato felt an odd sensation in his chest, and noticed he hadn't seen her so relaxed in a very long time. Konan grinned at him, the butterfly still sitting on her nose. Nagato felt himself moving closer to her, to do what he didn't really know. Suddenly, a blue bur chasing something crashed into them, ruining the moment and scaring off the butterfly.

"Damnit! Stupid gazelle, I'll find you one day and rip your throat out!" Kisame sat on the ground, propping himself up with a forepaw and shaking the other one at the retreating creature. Just as Nagato was about to open his mouth to say something, a boom was heard nearby.

"You have just witnessed true art, hm! A flash of beauty, nothing else can compare to it!" Deidara had just blown up a crude clay sculpture in front of Simba and Nala, who had awed expressions on their faces.

"Wow.. that was _so cool!_ " Simba shouted in excitement, ignoring the small flame burning on his head.

"Yeah, I've never seen anything like it!" Nala exclaimed, her front half covered in soot.

"Finally, I have found others that appreciate my art!" Deidara was soaking up the praise, grinning like mad. Tobi was watching also, clapping with his forepaws. If one looked very closely, tears could be seen sparkling in Deidara's eyes. However, he had used up a bit too much chi and fell over. He willed himself to stay awake and mostly succeeded, a grin still on his face.

"Can you do it again?" Simba asked eagerly, while Tobi put out the flame on his head with a paw.

"I'd love to show you more of my art but.. I don't have the energy..." Deidara dragged himself forward while Kisame grinned down at him.

"In a bit of trouble, eh?" Kisame sniggered.

"Shut up, hm! I'd rather be like this than let _you_ carry me again. Maybe next time you do I won't wake up at all!" Deidara continued to drag himself forward by his forelegs defiantly.

"Hey Konan, wanna come with me back to Pride Rock? I found this neat spot that has a _ton_ of flowers!" Nala said to her new friend. The pair had a strange kinship, being the only female cubs, and they'd become fast friends. Konan didn't talk nearly as much as Nala, but nonetheless enjoyed her company and sharing her dreams for peace with her. Konan also quite enjoyed flower patches in Pride Rock, as they were exotic and beautiful, unlike anything she had seen before. It was almost as if Pride Rock was a paradise, radiant with peace and beauty.

Konan nodded and the pair began a race back to the structure, leaving the rest behind. Nagato felt a twinge of worry as he saw them go, unused to not having Konan by his side. Soon after they left, the cubs were approached by Scar.

* * *

"Ah, there you all are. Simba, your father has a simply _delightful_ surprise for you and your friends in the gorge! Follow me..." Scar turned and began leading them.

The Akatsuki could see it was a trap, but decided to once again follow their friend into danger, hoping for some more information or just some excitement. Kisame in particular grinned at the anticipation of action. Nagato was now somewhat relieved that Konan had left, as the idea of her in danger was growing more unnerving to him.

Deidara pulled himself onto his feet to follow, but Tobi for once did not follow him.

"Uh.. Tobi can't come, he has to do something important!" Tobi quickly ran off, to the confusion of the others. Deidara simply shrugged, glad to be rid of him for a bit.

 _'I'll observe from a perch this time. Scar's likely going to make a move to kill the king.'_ Tobi stopped behind a rock and watched the others go, intending to follow from a safe distance.

Scar led them to a huge gash in the land, down into it, and stopped by a lone tree. Tobi opted to stay on a ledge above the gorge, as he had a good vantage point there.

"So... what is it?" Simba asked when they stopped.

"Oh, if I told you it wouldn't _be_ a surprise, now would it?" Scar tutted with a grin on his face.

"If you tell us, we'll still _act_ surprised!" Simba retorted mischievously.

"Oooh, you are such a _naughty boy!_ " Scar replied, while the Akatsuki cubs whispered to each other.

"So, what does he plan this time?" Kisame wondered.

"I doubt it involves hyenas again, but we should keep our guard up regardless." Nagato said.

"I hope I get a chance to show off my art again. As long as _you_ don't pick me up and smash me around afterwards!" Deidara said with a glare at Kisame.

"...just stay here with your friends. Wouldn't want another incident like what happened with the hyenas, would we?" Scar said in a sickly sweet tone.

"*cough*Bullshit*cough*" Kisame couldn't help himself, but luckily Scar didn't really hear him.

"You know about that?" Simba asked with an embarrassed expression.

"Simba, everyone knows about it. Lucky your daddy was there to save you and your friends, eh? Now, just between us, you should work on that little roar of yours.. perhaps with your blue friend, hm?" Scar lazily pointed a claw at Kisame, who bristled at the insult to his roar. With that, Scar began to leave.

"Okay... hey uncle Scar, will we like the surprise?" Simba asked hopefully. Scar smiled sinisterly and turned to say:

"Simba, it's to _die_ for!" he at last left, confirming with that line that he was indeed up to no good.

* * *

"...well _that_ was something. I can't believe he insulted my roar, it's sure to be better than _yours._ " Kisame said to Simba.

"Oh yeah? Wanna prove it?" Simba challenged.

"I'd be happy to!" Kisame accepted with a grin.

Meanwhile, a certain trio of hyenas were near a herd of wildebeest high above the gorge. They were waiting for Scar's signal, but Banzai was growing impatient.

"...I can't help it! I'm so hungry... I gotta have a wildebeest!" Banzai was drooling and stood up eagerly.

"Stay put!" Shenzi commanded, and he sat back down.

"Can't I just pick off one of the little sick ones?" he asked hopefully.

"No! We wait for the signal from Scar. Then we squish those stupid cubs and grab a free meal on the way." Shenzi grinned at the prospect of killing the cubs. They'd humiliated her and the other two hyenas, especially Tobi.

Scar approached them on top of a rock with a smirk, and nodded.

"There he is.. let's go." Shenzi gestured and the trio padded off to startle the herd.

Back down in the gorge, Simba and Kisame were having a roar-off. They were both mostly equal, more squeaking than roaring. Deidara was even betting with Nagato on who would win.

"A zebra haunch says Simba wins, hm!" Deidara was betting against Kisame, glad to have a way of scorning him. Nagato went along with it simply because he was bored.

"You're on." Nagato nodded, and Kisame and Simba got ready for their biggest "roar" yet.

Both cubs took deep breaths, then roared. Simba's came out as a half roar half growl, while Kisame simply made a very loud squeak.

"Hah, I win!" Simba exclaimed triumphantly as his half roar echoed around the gorge.

"You owe me a zebra haunch, Pein!" Deidara said with a grin.

Suddenly, the ground shook and a rumble was heard in the distance. The cubs immediately stood alert, except for Simba who was confused.

"Deidara, plant an explosive if you have to. Kisame, use your chi to amplify your strength if need be, there isn't any water here." Nagato instructed; the cubs nodded.

* * *

As the cubs saw a huge herd of wildebeest stampede towards them, they growled.

"Shit!" Deidara and Kisame exclaimed.

Simba was frozen in fear and Nagato nudged him to get moving.

"Everyone move, run!" he shouted, and they did.

Tobi watched the stampede unfold with mild surprise, safe on one of the cliffs. He had to admit he was somewhat impressed with Scar's plan, trapping the cubs in a narrow space with a huge force running towards them.

 _'They'll make it out... somehow. Nagato is resourceful, he won't let them die.'_ Tobi thought, ever calm and confident.

He heard something, spotting Scar running towards Mufasa.

 _'Ah. He has the bait, now he just has to hook the fish in.'_

Meanwhile, the four cubs ran for their lives. Kisame was the fastest, but Simba and Deidara fell back into the stampede, barely missing getting their heads crushed by huge hooves.

"Up there!" Nagato shouted, pointing to a bent tree. The cubs ran onto it and dug their claws in, hanging on desperately.

"Sh-should I plant a bomb?" Deidara asked frantically.

"No! It would destroy the tree and further scare the wildebeest!" Nagato yelled, ears pinned.

"So what now?!" Kisame asked, trying to listen above the roaring sound of hooves.

"JUST HANG ON, DAMNIT!" Nagato didn't often get very angry, but the situation was putting much stress on him and he could see no way out.

 _'Konan... what will she think if I don't make it?'_

* * *

Mufasa had arrived on the scene, seeing the cubs clinging to the shaking tree down below. Zazu had flown down to the cubs, Scar watching with mock horror.

"Zazu, help us!" Simba yelped in fear.

"Hold on, all of you! Mufasa is coming!" Zazu yelled, flying back towards Mufasa

"There, there! On that tree!" Zazu pointed at the tree, and Mufasa was shocked, while Scar feigned it.

"Hold on!" he yelled, and leapt to save them.

"Hurry-whoaaa!" Deidara and the other cubs yelped as the tree cracked and shook.

"Oh Scar this is awful, what do we do?! I know! I'll go back for help, yes, I'll go back for he-" Scar frowned and smacked Zazu with a paw, knocking him out.

 _'It starts, then...'_ Tobi thought from his perch, now thoroughly engrossed in the scene unfolding before him.

Mufasa made his way to the tree, getting a kick in the process. The tree finally broke and the cubs cried out as they flew into the air. Mufasa leapt, catching Simba in his jaws while the other cubs climbed onto his back and held on. Mufasa was hit once again, causing Simba to fall from his mouth. Mufasa grabbed him again, knocking over a wildebeest. He jumped onto a nearby ledge and the cubs leapt off him, but he was pulled off and fell into the sea of stampeding herbivores.

"DAD!" Simba cried in anguish, and watched horrified as his father endured many kicks and knocks. The other cubs watched too, cursing their inability to help

Mufasa disappeared for a few seconds, but with a great roar escaped the wildebeest and clung onto a ledge, climbing up it slowly. The cubs ran up a pile of rocks, lead by Simba. Tobi saw Scar perched above Mufasa and activated his sharingan to capture what would transpire.

"Scar! Brother... help me!" Mufasa pleaded, barely hanging onto the cliff-face, his strength failing.

Scar looked at him with a cold expression for a moment, then dug his claws painfully into Mufasa's forepaws, causing him to give a pained roar. He lowered his head with a chilling smile and murmured:

 _ **"Long live the king..."**_ with that, he ripped his claws out and watched with a twisted smile as Mufasa plummeted to his death.

 _'Well well well, he actually did it. Goes to show how much better things go if you do them yourself.'_ Tobi deactivated his sharingan and edged closer to see what would happen now.

* * *

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Simba's cry was deafening as he saw his father fall to his doom.

"Kami... he couldn't have survived a fall like that!" Kisame whispered in shock.

"NO! He made it! He always does!" Simba screamed at him and ran down to his father, the others following.

The wildebeests had receded at last, leaving an eerie fog of dust everywhere. The cubs spotted something in the distance, and Simba gasped when they got closer.

"DAD!" the cub ran to his father and looked him over. As he pushed him and begged him to get up, Nagato was fighting an inner battle.

 _'DAMNIT! I COULD'VE DONE SOMETHING! I COULD'VE SAVED HIM SOMEHOW!'_ he clutched his head and almost screamed from the pain he felt.

"Simba... I think... I think he's dead." Kisame whispered softly to his friend, ears lowered.

"NO! You're wrong! He... he..." Simba broke down in sobs, clinging to his fathers body, and Kisame rubbed his back in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.

"Simba... what have you done?" Scar had appeared out of the dust.

"No... it.. it wasn't my..." Simba stammered.

"You made him save you and your friends, and he died. It's all your fault." Scar accused.

"What... what do we do?" Deidara whispered.

"Run, cubs! Run away, and never return!" Scar growled, and the cubs, with nowhere else to go, did just that.

* * *

Konan was rolling in the flowers with Nala when Scar came. When she heard Nagato's name on his list of death, her heart stopped. She almost screamed, but held onto a shred of hope that _maybe, just maybe,_ they had lived. As her friend sobbed against her mother's leg Konan hugged her, silently mourning for her best friend, but vowing to hold on to hope, as she always had done.

 **Aaaand, BOOM! Mufasa's dead, Hidan is back with Kakuzu, and Konan stays at Pride Rock with Nala and Tobi. I was gonna add more but it's really late and this chapter is long and I'm tired and blaaaah. Next chapter starts with our exiled quartet in the desert. Drop a review if you want, and see you next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7: Exile

**Thanks to Livelikeme123 for the fav! I'm gonna add on a bit at the beginning here explaining why Tobi decided not to follow the exiles and how he feels about it, since the last chapter's ending was rushed. Afterwards we see the quartet of exiles chased off to the desert, where they meet an odd pair and learn a phrase. Someone also regains a power, albeit fleetingly.**

Tobi had seen the cubs run from his perch, chased by the trio of hyenas.

 _'Well, that could pose a problem. At least they aren't dead. I don't really need them for the time being, and it will give me some freedom to practice my chi control. They'll come back, I just know it. Those three hyenas are useless, after all...'_ Tobi quickly ran towards Pride Rock, expecting some grim news from Scar when he got there.

Tobi was unsuprised when Scar announced the deaths of the four cubs to the pride.

 _'Hmph, lying to cover up his failures. He'll pay for that in the future...'_ while the other lions let out shocked gasps or sobs, Tobi merely looked bored.

"It is with a heavy heart, that I assume the throne. Yet out of the ashes of this tragedy, we shall rise." the lions gasped as fierce shadows appeared, followed by their owners - hyenas, dozens of them.

"To greet the dawning of a new era, in which lion and hyena come together, to form a great and glorious future!" Scar finished, voice resonating with confidence.

 _'So this was his plan all along.. kill his brother and become king, then bring his army of hyenas to make sure nobody attempts to stop him. Damnit, this means I'll be unable to get my missing members back for quite a while. When I have grown stronger, I will use my sharingan to slaughter every last one of those filthy creatures!'_ Tobi snarled and activated his sharingan. Focusing it on Scar, he placed a light genjutsu on him, giving him a jolt of pain. Scar looked panicked for a second, but quickly recomposed himself.

 _'That's right, you coward. I have my eye on you, and when the time comes, you shall_ _ **fall.**_ _'_

* * *

As Nagato ran from the hyena trio with the other three cubs, one word kept pounding through his head.

 _'Failure...'_

He knew he could have done something, _anything,_ to stop Scar or maybe the hyenas. But he hadn't. He had been frozen, seeing Mufasa's still form on the ground, Simba crying over him. His goal was to bring peace, but what had he done? Nothing. Simba, an innocent child, had lost his father. Just like Nagato had long ago lost his parents when they were killed by Konoha-nin. He'd caused his friend such pain, pain he knew well. Nagato's head throbbed, getting worse by the second, and he clenched his teeth. Simba and Deidara ran alongside him, Kisame in front. The hyenas growled and snapped behind, gaining on them. Kisame spotted a large hedge of thorns ahead and cursed.

"There's a row of thorn bushes up ahead! What do we do?" he yelled.

"I'll use my explosives to clear a path!" Deidara replied with a nod.

Deidara broke into a sprint and ran ahead of the others, skidding to a halt in front of the thorns. He pushed a significant amount of his chi into the ground and clapped his front paws together.

"HA!"

The ground exploded, scorching a significant amount of the thorns, but not quite reaching the end of the hedge. The explosion startled the hyenas, making them falter for a few seconds. Nagato had to resist clutching his head as the pain grew ever worse. Simba flinched, still fragile after his father's death. As the pain reached a breaking point, Nagato yelled to the others.

"RUN! Go ahead of me, I have a plan!" Nagato stopped and faced the hyenas, drawing on his chi reserves.

 _'Now...'_ Nagato closed his eyes calmly, and when he opened them again, they sported the ringed purple look of the Rinnegan.

The hyenas slowed, feeling a sense of growing dread as they looked at the cub's eyes. Nagato unleashed a powerful genjutsu on them, and the pain in his head quickly drained away. The hyenas froze, then all at once gave howls of agony and collapsed. They lay there, twitching, as if experiencing a terrifying nightmare. Nagato's vision flickered and he deactivated his rinnegan, feeling his legs wobbling.

 _'Damnit... that used up a lot of my chi. I have to get after the others!'_ Nagato panted and willed himself onward despite the pain he felt.

* * *

Nagato managed to catch up to the other three cubs and saw Deidara once again passed out on Kisame's back, some thorns stuck in him. Nagato hurriedly explained that the hyenas were no longer following them, and they stopped under a small tree. Simba all but collapsed, the day having taken a significant toll on his body and mind. Kisame let Deidara slide off his back, then sat down.

"So what now?" Kisame asked quietly.

"For now.. we rest. Kisame, could you perhaps use your chi to draw some water from the ground?" Nagato asked, and Kisame nodded.

Concentrating, Kisame moved his paws with subtle gestures, causing a puddle's worth of water to rise up from the dry, cracked ground.

"Drink quickly, I can't hold this for long." Kisame said, holding the water in the air.

Nagato took a few gulps and Kisame moved a bit of water down Deidara's throat. Simba crawled over and sipped weakly, all his bravado and energy long gone. As the sun set Nagato fell into a deep slumber, the use of his rinnegan having put a significant strain on him. Simba quickly followed, with Kisame the last to sleep.

As the days passed the group wandered in the seemingly endless desert, hope dwindling within them. Simba had barely uttered a word, a complete mirror of the cub he had been. Kisame was optimistic, encouraging the others and cracking jokes. Deidara was worringly still unconscious, being carried around by Kisame.

The cubs had become exhausted, starving from lack of food and still thirsty as the water in the ground became sparser. Simba glanced at Deidara and asked Nagato in a very small voice:

"Will he never wake up again?" Nagato's ears perked in surprise and he really got a sense of how much Simba was a shadow of his former self.

 _'And it's all my fault...'_ Nagato thought with despair, but quickly shook his head to give his friend words of encouragement.

"No. He will wake up. His heart still beats, so we have hope. Even if it is all we have, there will always be hope. No matter what, we have to hold onto it." Nagato thought of Konan, and how she had helped him when he was starving and alone.

 _'Even if she's not here with me, I'll still stand by her ideals. They've kept me going this long..'_

Simba's ears perked a bit at Nagato's small speech, and he even gained a tiny smile. Suddenly, a moan was heard from Deidara. As if he had heard Nagato's words the peach cub stirred and slid onto the ground. He opened his eyes with a strain to see three faces looking down at him.

 _'Ngh... damn... I can barely move. Kisame probably dragged me through a pit of rocks or something...'_ Deidara stood up slowly with a yelp and took note of his surroundings.

"Wh-where are we?"

"We don't know. We've hoped to find something out here, but nothing so far." Kisame said, and for once Deidara was too exhausted to yell at him. The group continued on, but as the heat bore down on them they could take no more and collapsed.

* * *

Vultures circled the cubs from above, anticipating a nice meal.

"Hmm... we're in luck boys, four fresh lion cubs!" a female with a croaky voice rasped, licking her beak.

"Yesss... jussst have to wait a bit longer, when their life fizzlesss out..." a male replied, chuckling darkly.

The birds swooped down to land after a few minutes, closing in on the quartet. They jumped with suprise when a loud yell and galloping hooves were heard.

"Hiiiiiii-yaaaaaaah!" A meerkat charged into the vultures on a warthog, sending them flying in all directions. They chased them off, laughing the whole time.

"Bowling for buzzards, it never gets old!" the warthog, Pumbaa, exclaimed.

"Yeah, it sure do-hey wait, what's that?" the meerkat, Timon, pointed at the cubs.

"I think they're still alive..." Pumbaa said, nudging one with his snout.

"Hmm, let's see what we got here..." Timon walked over to Kisame and lifted the paw that was covering his face.

"GEEZ! They're lions!" Timon jumped and hid behind Pumbaa in fear.

"They're just little lions... look at em', so cute and all alone! Can we keep them?" Pumbaa asked excitedly.

"Pumbaa, are you nuts?! They're lions, lions eat guys like us!" Timon ran to hide behind Pumbaa's leg.

"But they're so little!"

"But they're gonna get bigger!" Timon protested.

"Maybe they'll be on our side?" Pumbaa asked hopefully.

"Hah, that's the stupidest idea I ever... wait... what if they were on our side? Having some big lions around might not be such a bad idea!" Timon said with a grin.

"So we're keepin' em'?" Pumbaa asked.

"Pfft, of course! Who's the brains of this outfit?" Pumbaa grinned and picked up Simba and Nagato with his tusks, while pulling Kisame and Deidara onto his back.

"Uhhh..."

"My point exactly! Cmon', let's get outta here and find some shade!" With that the pair walked off, carrying the cubs with them.

* * *

The pair had arrived at the edge of a huge jungle, next to a small pond. Timon splashed some water on the cub's faces, rousing them. Simba was the first to get on his feet, and began to walk away.

"Hey kid, where ya going?" Timon asked.

"I don't know..." Simba sat down dejectedly.

"What's eatin' ya?" Pumbaa approached him and asked.

"Nothing, he's at the top of the food chain!" Timon laughed at his joke, but Simba just looked sadder.

"Eh.. so, where you guys from?" Timon asked, attempting to break the silence.

"It doesn't matter, we can't go back..." Simba said with a sigh.

"What's wrong?" Pumbaa asked.

"I don't wanna talk about it..."

"Good, we don't wanna hear about it!" Timon said and began to walk away.

"Timon! Is there anything we can do to help?" Pumbaa asked.

"Not unless you can change the past..."

"Well, I have a little saying. It goes like this: You gotta put your past behind ya. Look kid, bad things happen, and you can't do anything about it, right?" At this point the other cubs had gathered and were listening to Timon.

"Right." Simba agreed sadly.

"WRONG! When the world turns it's back on you, you turn _your_ back on the world!" Timon retorted.

"So basically... when you have problems, ignore them and move on?" Kisame interjected.

"That's right! You kids sounds like you need a lesson. Repeat after me: Hakuna, Matata." Timon said.

"What?" the cubs asked.

"Haku-na, Mat-at-a. It means 'No worries'" Pumbaa nodded.

* * *

 _"Hakuna Matata, what a wonderful phrase!"_ Timon began to sing and Kisame groaned.

 _"Hakuna Matata, ain't no passin' craaaze!"_ Pumbaa continued, and the air seemed to gain a beat.

 _"It means no worries, for the rest of your daaaays!"_ Timon sang, and led the cubs into the jungle, where they lay down on bushes and got fanned by Pumbaa.

 _"It's our problem free, philosophyyy!_ " the pair sang as Timon trimmed one of Simba's claws.

 _"Hakuna Matataaa!"_

 _"Hakuna Matata?"_ Simba asked somewhat redundantly.

 _"It's our motto!"_ Pumba answered.

 _"What's a motto?"_ Simba asked, causing Deidara to facepalm.

 _"Nothin, what's the motto with you?"_ Timon laughed at his joke while Kisame booed at him.

 _"Kids, these two words will solve **all** your problems!" _Pumbaa said with a grin, but Nagato frowned skeptically.

 _'I doubt that...'_

 _"It sure worked for Pumbaa! Why, when he was a young warthooog..."_ Timon began to sing again.

 _"When I was a young, wart-HOOOOG!"_ Pumbaa sang very loudly, causing Deidara to wince.

 _"Very nice... anyway. He found his aroma had a certain appeal. He could clear the savannah after every meal..."_ Simba was confused, but the Akatsuki cubs deciphered the meaning behind the words and made disgusted faces.

 _"I'm a sensitive soul, though I seem thick-skinned. And it hurt, when my friends never stood downwiiind! Oh, the shame!"_ Pumbaa broke into passionate song as Timon echoed his words from the background.

 _"And I got downhearted! Every time that I-"_ Timon ran to cover Pumbaa's mouth and hissed;

 _"Pumbaa, not in front of the kids!"_

 _"Oh, sorry..."_

 _"Hakuna Matata, what a wonderful phrase!" t_ he duo were back to singing and rose up on vines. Simba was smiling, and Deidara found himself tapping his paws along to the beat. Kisame grinned, while Nagato smiled and thought:

 _'They may be a bit odd, but these two.. they are the light we need right now. We have found hope.'_

 _"Hakuna Matata, ain't no passin' craaaaze!"_ As the pair swung from side to side, Deidara tapped out a beat on some rocks and Simba slid over to the pair. Kisame swayed to the song and Nagato just sat, watching curiously.

 _"It means no worries, for the rest of your daaays!"_ Simba sang, and Timon and Pumbaa landed next to him.

 _"It's our problem free, philosophyyy..." t_ he trio got ready for the finale.

 _"Hakuna Matata!"_ Surprisingly, the whole group joined in with the last line, though Kisame didn't really sing it.

* * *

"Welcome, to our humble home!" Timon lead the cubs to a bush, and pushed aside a leaf. A massive, beautiful jungle was revealed and the cubs looked awed.

"You live _here?_ " Deidara whispered.

"We live wherever we want!" Timon said with a smirk.

"Yup, home is where your rump rests!" Pumbaa grinned.

"It's beautiful..." Nagato said softly.

"I'll say..." Simba chimed in, his jaw hanging open.

"Plenty of water, too. I think I could get used to a place like this!" Kisame looked forward to having a swim.

The group wandered deeper in, and Pumbaa belched loudly.

"Boy, am I stuffed!" he exclaimed.

"I'm so hungry, I could eat a whole zebra!" Simba said incredulously.

"I hear you. I could eat two." Kisame interjected.

"We're all hungry, do you have any meat around here?" Deidara asked.

"Ehh.. we don't." Timon said with a frown.

"Well you must eat something to sustain yourselves." Nagato said.

"Yup, let's see..." Timon scanned for something, and spotted a rotting log.

"Ah, here we go! This'll be a good spot to rustle up some grub.." Timon pushed the log, revealing a huge amount of colorful insects and worms crawling under it. He grabbed a big red grub, licking his lips.

"...you eat bugs?" Deidara asked, feeling a bit sick.

"Eww, gross!" Simba said with a shudder.

"What? It tastes like chicken!" Timon had eaten the grub, and Pumbaa slurped up a worm, much to the cub's disgust.

"Slimy, yet satisfying! You learn to love em' " Pumbaa said with a mouthful of bugs.

"I'm tellin' ya kids, this is the good life! No worries, no responsibilities..." Timon grabbed some bugs and put them on a leaf, holding it like a platter. He walked over to the cubs with it, and poor Deidara looked like he was about to throw up.

"Well, kids?" Timon asked, holding the leaf up to them. Kisame shrugged and grabbed a grub, followed by Simba, Nagato, and finally Deidara, who held it away from him with one paw.

"Oh well, Hakuna Matata..." Simba said, then slurped up his big red grub. His disgusted expression turned to one of satisfaction.

"Slimy, yet satisfying!" Kisame announced after eating his.

"Well, it's very similar to meat..." Nagato said, crunching the green beetle he held.

 _'Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if we stayed here for a while. We can gain enough strength to return, and this place seems safe.'_ he thought.

"Euuugh... fine, hm! I'll eat bugs, but only because it means I won't die!" Deidara growled stubbornly, and with a look of great revulsion placed the worm he held into his mouth. He swallowed and shivered.

"It's not too bad.. I still prefer meat though!"

* * *

Konan and Nala lay side by side, next to the waterhole. Konan had grabbed a white-purple rose flower, and stuck it next to her right ear using some tree resin. As she looked at her reflection in the water, she noticed how similar the flower looked to her original paper one. Konan felt another pang in her heart as she thought of Nagato and the other three cubs that had been lost. Even if they lived, she had no idea where they were. _If_ they lived, they'd come back-wouldn't they? Konan knew Nagato would not give his dream up easily, but she was also unsure if she wanted them to return. Scar's hyenas had taken over and frequently patrolled the borders. If the four cubs attempted to re enter the Pride Lands, they'd be killed by the sheer numbers.

When Konan had asked Tobi what they would do next, he simply said, "We grow strong. All good things come to those who wait." She hadn't seen much of him since, but the few times she had he was meditating or practicing his chi use. Konan was grateful Nala was still with her, and the two had become nigh on inseparable in the weeks after Scar took the throne.

"Hey Konan... do you think Simba and the others are out there somewhere?" Nala asked her best friend.

"I don't _think_ they are. I _know_ it." Konan smiled at Nala and the two gazed up at the stars, feeling hopeful for the future.

* * *

 **Yup, Nagato _can_ use his rinnegan, but it drains him quite a bit and he'll only use it a few more times during the rest of the story. I was originally not gonna let him have it, but I figured it's actually a big part of his character and _does_ link to his soul. I went back and edited the note at the start of chapter 3 to fit this as well. Anyway, that marks the end of the cub stage for our main characters! Well, almost. Next chapter will have a few last bits detailing the exiles adapting to their new life, and then they grow into teens. And we all know what that means... puberty! We also catch up with Hidan and Kakuzu, who've made quite the names for themselves. The snail slurping contest from The Lion King 3 or 1/2 also makes an appearance. It'll likely be the last chapter before shit hits the fan and the plot of the movie starts to get going again with everyone as adults. Drop a review if you want, and see you next chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8: Teen Years

**Thanks to princessbinas for pointing out the mistake in the last chapter, I went back and fixed it. This chapter is particularly lighthearted, since there's gonna be some heavy stuff coming up soon. The exiles adapt to their new life in the jungle, and when puberty comes along they notice changes... some more odd than others. Starting off here will be the last bits of the cubs as.. cubs.**

The exiles had been living in the jungle for a few days and they quite enjoyed it. Kisame spent his time exploring the waterfalls, getting in touch with his element. Deidara tried to blow stuff up, and though there was no clay there was no lack of things to blow up either. He was particularly happy that Tobi was gone and the relief of tension made him more relaxed. Simba goofed off, exploring whenever he could and scoffing just as many bugs as Timon and Pumbaa. Nagato tried to hone his nature release techniques using his chi, and when he was not doing this he continued to think about the future. Timon and Pumbaa enjoyed the extra company, especially Deidara due to his explosives.

"Behold! I will show you my best art yet..." Deidara gestured dramatically to a large pile of logs which were teeming with bugs. He'd said that with his explosions, the bugs would be cooked and he would improve their texture and flavor. The cubs and Timon and Pumbaa watched, mainly because they wanted a meal.

"Are you sure they won't just rain down on us like small meteors?" Kisame asked with skepticism.

"My reasoning is sound, hm! I'll prove it." Deidara smirked, and placed a paw at the base of the pile, transferring chi into it. He had gotten better at maintaining his chi and now usually stayed conscious after detonation.

"HA!" Deidara clapped his forepaws together and the logs exploded in all directions, raining flaming wood everywhere. The bugs made popping sounds as they were cooked, most falling on the ground twitching, some falling on to the audience.

"All right, let's eat!" Simba grabbed a burned beetle with a paw and crunched it in his mouth. He made a face of happiness and exclaimed:

"Wow! You guys _have_ to try this, it's so good!" Simba then proceeded to shove as many roasted bugs into his mouth as possible.

"Hmm... these aren't bad! Hey Deidara, can you do this again sometime?" Timon asked as he crunched a grub.

"I'll be glad to show you more of my art, hm! When I have more strength.." Deidara flopped down on the ground with a groan.

"Your idea actually worked. Though next time, you might want to avoid making a bonfire." Kisame looked at the roaring flames next to him warily.

"I wonder if we could use some of the plants around here to further enhance the flavor..." Nagato pondered as he chewed a centipede.

"That's a good idea. I still think bugs are gross, but if we make them more like actual food they'll be more bearable." Deidara crawled forward and grabbed a large beetle with his mouth.

* * *

Deidara sniggered immaturely as he tiptoed over to Kisame's sleeping form. It was nighttime in the jungle and Deidara had decided it was time to get revenge on Kisame for all the pain he'd caused him. In one of his forepaws Deidara held a small lump of clay that he'd found on the outskirts of the jungle and crudely molded. He pushed some chi into it and tweaked it so that while the explosion wouldn't be huge, it instead would be very very... loud.

He placed the clay right next to one of Kisame's ears and ran for cover behind a tree. Trying to muffle his laughter, Deidara clapped his forepaws together.

"HA!"

 ** _BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!_**

Kisame shot up a meter in the air with a yowl, his ears ringing and head spinning. His fur was sticking up and his claws were out in response to a possible threat. He twitched and looked furiously around for his "attacker". Deidara was crying with the effort of trying to hold his laughter in, and when he finally exploded with laughter he ran off. Kisame saw Deidara's retreating form and yelled, though he could barely hear what he said.

"DEIDARA! I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!"

"...what the hell just happened?" Nagato asked as he walked up to the livid Kisame.

Simba had been walking by with Timon because he had to "Go", but the bang had given him such a fright that he dealt with that on the spot. Simba was too tired to be curious, so just went back over to his sleeping spot. Timon opened his mouth to say something, but closed it and shrugged, walking off. Pumbaa was still sound asleep somehow, snoring.

* * *

A few months had passed and the cubs found themselves growing. This was nothing new to the Akatsuki, who had grown into adults before. Simba however was very new to this, and when he woke up one day with a small red-brown mane tuft on his head he thought it was the best thing in the world.

"Wow... I have a mane! Oh yeah, wait till I show the guys this!" Simba had filled out a bit and his voice had gotten deeper, but cracked occasionally. His fur had also darkened due to his mother's genes.

Simba strutted over to the other adolescents, chest puffed out proudly. Deidara was showing signs of having a strong, but somewhat thin build, and his mane was the longest of the group's, almost covering his left eye. Kisame was quite large for his age and was becoming muscular. His stiff mohawk mane had grown down his neck, and around his face a little bit. Nagato had a thin build, but it was more muscular and healthy looking than Scar's. His mane had grown down his neck and over his eyes somewhat. It drooped down, much like the hair of his human body.

They'd changed mentally somewhat too. Deidara was still arrogant, albeit less so and wasn't as prone to rudeness or boasting as he had been, and was relaxed due to no Tobi. Kisame missed hunting and eating meat, but he enjoyed crushing bugs beneath him, and the waterfalls of the jungle had an almost soothing effect on him. Nagato still held the weight of guilt over his failure to stop Scar, and mainly focused on training himself and the others in chi usage to distract himself. Nagato also sorely missed Konan, having never been apart from her for so long. Some days he found himself wondering what she was doing without him.

"Hey guys, check me out!" Simba smirked and did a pose, while the others just looked at him with a bored expression.

"..oh, looks like you got a mane at last. It's a more realistic color than ours, at least." Nagato said politely.

"Eh big deal, hm! We've had ours since we were cubs, it's nothing new." Deidara shrugged and went back to trying to mold some mud.

"It's not bad. Who knows, maybe it'll get even bigger than your father's?" Kisame said, attempting humor. Once he realized what he said, he mumbled a quick apology and went back to manipulating a puddle.

"It's okay.. I do look kinda like hi-im." Simba's voice broke on the last word and Deidara made a comment.

"Well, right now you don't really sound like him." the joke broke the tension a bit and the group chuckled.

* * *

"I don't think this is such a good idea, guys..." Pumbaa muttered nervously. The adolescents and Timon all sat at a makeshift table made from a large stump, minus Deidara, each one having a pile of snails in front of them. Even Nagato joined in the fun, happy to have a break from the strenuous chi training he'd been doing. The snail-slurping contest had been set up after Timon tried to find some game that he hadn't been beaten in. Despite having been eating bugs for months, Deidara still hated the slimy ones and opted to watch instead. Pumbaa didn't like the idea either and so was the referee. The pair had a bet going on to keep things interesting. Pumbaa was betting on Timon to win, and Deidara bet one of the adolescents would win. They bet with favors, the loser would have to do 10 favors for the winner. Pumbaa sighed and raised his hoof to begin the countdown.

"One... two.. three..." the group at the table got determined looks on their faces.

"Go!" The table shook as each contestant took a snail and gulped it down. They continued to gulp like mad, spreading slime everywhere. The one rule was that you couldn't just crunch up the snails in their shells, you had to slurp them out. The contestant's bellies filled up fast and Nagato was the first one out. He gave a moan and slid onto the ground, making disgusted noises. Deidara wasn't doing so well either, all the slime and slurping was making him sick. The remaining contestants continued on and the shell piles got huge. Finally, they seemed at their limit.

The trio at the table were leaning on it, Kisame drooling sickly and Timon and Simba sticking their tongues out. Kisame shakily grabbed a snail and slurped it, but he couldn't take any more and threw up, passing out on the ground. Deidara also threw up at the sight of this, shuddering. Only Timon and Simba were left, each reaching for a single snail. Pumbaa shook his head in dismay at the display. Simba grabbed his and looked at it with a shudder. He slurped it up, and rested his head on the table between his paws, a smug expression on his face as he waited for Timon. Timon's belly was distended, and as he looked at the snail in his paws, he hallucinated. The snail morphed into Pumbaa, and said:

"I told you this was a bad idea!"

Timon had reached his breaking point and he passed out, dropping the snail onto the ground where it quickly fled.

"The winner is... Simba!" Pumbaa held up Simba's paw in victory. Simba gave a very loud belch, and passed out.

"Ahem.. I win, hm!" Deidara grinned at Pumbaa, who sighed in defeat.

* * *

Pumbaa held two huge rocks in each hoof, all of them charged with varying amounts of Deidara's chi. It was the eighth favor Pumbaa had been told to do by him, and it seemed all his favors involved experimenting with his explosives.

"Uhh... hey Deidara, are you sure this will work?" Pumbaa asked with a frown on his snout.

"Yeah. Well, almost. I put different amounts of chi into the rocks, so I can measure how much I need for a good explosion. Then my art will be perfected, hm!" Deidara grinned and gave a thumbs up, or a semblance of one, with his forepaw. Pumbaa began to shake when Deidara clapped his forepaws together to unleash the explosives.

"HA!" the rocks exploded, a few into larger pieces and some completely shattered. One rock was even melting a little, and Pumbaa was covered in burn marks, although not seriously harmed.

"Hm, seems those last two rocks were the only good ones. The destruction of my art must be absolute, not like _this!_ " Deidara kicked the rock that had been broken into three large chunks to emphasize. He was getting very tired from chi use, but due to much training was able to keep awake.

"Y-yeah, well uh.. I gotta go-" Pumbaa tried to sneak off, but Deidara stopped him with a paw.

"You're not going anywhere, I still have two more experiments for you to test!" Deidara dragged the warthog by his tail and Pumbaa sighed heavily.

* * *

On the day after Deidara completed his "Tests" he woke up to a familiar feeling on his palms. Timon noticed them before he was awake, much to his horror.

"Yaaawn... man, what a night. Those snails are still doin' a number on my..." Timon stopped when he saw something very strange. On one of Deidara's palms, there was a mouth. It's tongue was moving, and it had teeth. Timon paled, and as he checked Deidara's other paw he felt something lick him. It was another mouth, sure enough.

"AAAAAAAHH!" Timon's scream echoed through the jungle and woke the group of sleeping lions.

"What's going on?" Nagato asked sleepily.

"M-m-mouth..." Timon whispered shakily, pointing at Deidara's palm.

"Wha-Oh... hm, I didn't think I'd get these back." Deidara reacted with mild surprise.

"Interesting.. it seems your kinjutsu has manifested itself." Nagato said.

"This means my clay molding will be a lot better! If I can find any. I'll go look now, hm!" Deidara raced off, eager for a chance to use his new - or rather, old hand-mouths.

"Th-that's normal?" Timon stuttered.

"Yeah, pretty much." Kisame said with a shrug.

* * *

Konan and Nala had been living under Scar's rule for some time now, and Konan noticed the land was... decaying. A drought deprived them of water, and due to the hyena's savage hunting methods the herds were beginning to seek new places to live. Without food the pride would crumble for sure.

 _'It's as if the land knows he is not meant to rule...'_ Konan sighed at the bleak sight and turned to a tree with something sitting in front of it. She had discovered a few days ago that she could manipulate thin sheets of wood from trees using her chi, much like she used to manipulate paper with her chakra. The sheets were fragile, but with significant amounts of chi applied to them they could be refined to almost paper quality. She had tried to use one as a lance once, but had collapsed from exhaustion. After resting and eating a bit she had decided to try again.

 _'Concentrate...'_ Konan closed her eyes and breathed deeply, and began to move the small sheet of paper. It curled into a sharp looking and thin cone shape

 _'Focus...'_ Konan was shaking a bit from the effort and concentrated on piercing the tree with the lance. With one swift movement, the lance dug into the tree, splintering it. Konan fell over, puffing.

"Hey, you okay?" Nala padded over to her friend.

"Y...yes.." Konan sat up and fought her exhaustion.

"I still miss them you know... I thought the pain would go away, but it's been months. I really miss Simba the most... we've been best friends since we were infants." Nala smiled sadly as she recalled the day they'd been introduced to each other. They'd mostly just mewled and purred at each other since they couldn't talk, but as they interacted by batting each other and playing they got along well.

"I miss Nagato the most... We've known each other for years and I've never been apart from him this long." Konan said, and sighed as she remembered when she met Nagato. She'd been out in the unending rain with an umbrella, when she spotted a small red-haired boy laying on the ground. She helped him and fed him some bread so he could regain his strength. Konan led him to her and Yahiko's small hideout and he introduced himself as Nagato. The trio became inseparable, and after Yahiko died Nagato was all she had left.

"I just hope we get some rain soon.. otherwise we might have to leave." Nala said solemnly, frowning at the brown grass before her.

* * *

 **Okay, this chapter is mostly original material except for a few clips from TLK 3/ 1 1/2, notably the snail slurping contest. Deidara can now properly mold clay again with his hand mouths, and will be able to make it move with his chi. I know I said Hidan and Kakuzu would be in this chapter, but I've run out of time so you'll have to wait till the next one. Next chapter the girls set out to find help, and everyone's all grown up. Drop a review if you want, and see you next chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9: Darkness

**Thanks to Tatots and weirdotakuqueen for following! The chapters now have titles, based on what occurs in them. This chapter starts off with Hidan and Kakuzu, and we see what they've been doing since partnering up again. During their hunt a familiar lioness makes a cameo appearance. Afterwards we see how dire things have gotten in the Pridelands, and what Scar plans for the future. The gang are all grown up now, and we also see what Tobi has been doing. As an answer to your review DarkWolfX51: They have all strengthened, and he's got it all right. Also, this chapter is darker than the others and contains gore and some sexual assault, the latter because of a deleted TLK scene which I have decided to include in this. Only it's a bit different this time..**

It was raining heavily due to it being the monsoon season. Two adult lions wandered around the outskirts of The Wetlands, a lion kingdom neighboring The Pridelands. One was very large, with a grey-brown pelt, grey-cream underfur and a large, droopy black mane. The other had a lanky build and was dark grey with grey underfur and a scruffy light grey mane. Each lion was spattered with blood, the latter completely soaked in it. The pair made a horrific sight and were known infamously as The Hunters. Individually, they were know as Kakuzu and Hidan. The partnership had started when Hidan joined Kakuzu to help him with his bounties, ranging from kidnapping cubs to slaughtering entire families. Feared as they were, they had many powerful figures indebted to them. Animals told horror stories of how the pair could not die, and a few had even claimed to have seen one of them talking after his head had been cut off. Hidan loved to slaughter anything that got in his way and despite bickering with Kakuzu he was glad to have a way to feed his bloodlust. He would still sacrifice to Jashin, in one case using a lion's severed head to paint symbols of blood around himself.

Kakuzu still thought Hidan's religion was nonsense, but enjoyed that his bounty hunting was more profitable with Hidan around. When they were cubs they'd had to stick to smaller targets. Although Kakuzu could still use his masks and threads with his chi, it exhausted his small body quickly. Now that he was an adult his chi reserves were larger and he could often take down a small pride with not much difficulty. Hidan was a savage fighter, using his chi to strengthen his teeth and claws. He was brutal in battle, slitting throats, gouging eyes, crushing skulls. There was nothing he loved more than a good, bloody fight.

The pair got on better than they used to, but Kakuzu was still prone to lopping off Hidan's head when he annoyed him, and Hidan often complained of Kakuzu's impatience to get jobs done.

"Oh ancestors... Kiburi, it's them. It's those two cubs I saw way back when!" a terrified lioness whispered to her friend when she caught sight of the menacing duo approaching.

"What, you mean the same one that put the other's head back on while it talked to him? Nonsense, Kiujanja! They're probably just your average brutes..." the other lioness, Kiburi replied.

"Uh, Kakuzu. I think someone's watching us." Hidan said with a glance behind him.

"Of course they are. You're leaving blood everywhere, we could easily be tracked." Kakuzu replied gruffly.

"Eh, so what? Damn enemies should come get me! I'm fucking bored..." Hidan slashed at the wet ground in annoyance.

"We can't delay this job. We need to take out that crazy lioness, she's a high bounty. So quit whining and try to look less like a walking crime scene." Kakuzu growled impatiently.

"Ah shut up, you old m-" Kakuzu had had enough, and promptly sliced Hidan's head off with a well placed wind blast.

"Fucking hell! Do you have any idea how much that hurts?!" Hidan proceeded to swear violently at Kakuzu.

Kakuzu sighed and picked Hidan's head up in his mouth by the mane, also grabbing the tail of his body. He proceeded forward, dragging the bloody body behind him and holding the cursing head in his mouth.

"Wh-wh-what... h-how?" Kiburi paled and threw up, shaking from fear

"I t-told you. They're demons Kiburi, they can't die!" Kiujanja and Kiburi quickly ran back to their pride in retreat, unaware the immortal pair were going in the same direction.

* * *

"We're here.. The lioness should be holed up in a large tree." Kakuzu observed the swampy land before him. There was an abundance of trees, grass and especially mud. The Wetlands were usually damp even in the dry season and the monsoon season made the landscape hard to maneuver on.

"Damnit, this place is a mess." Hidan complained as he idly shook some mud from a paw, his head re-sewn.

"We need to be cautious. Our client said she's extremely vicious, and her royal guards are cannibals." Kakuzu and Hidan proceeded into the mud, making squishing sounds as they went.

"Sounds like my kind of lionesses. It's a damn shame we gotta kill them, I could've got a date outta one or two." Hidan slashed at vines he got tangled in.

"You're too easily distracted." Kakuzu shook his head with a sigh.

"There... that tree seems to be a makeshift cave. You go after the lioness, I'll deal with the guards." Kakuzu ordered as he pointed at said tree, but Hidan protested.

"Aw, come on! Why do you get the hot bitches while I'm stuck with some old hag?!" Kakuzu glared fiercely at him, and he shut up. Kakuzu was already delayed, and he hated when others held him back.

"Fine..." Hidan mumbled, and hung back while Kakuzu charged at five sickly looking lionesses in front of the tree.

Kakuzu used lighting to electrocute them and he managed to take down two. Three still stood however, insane grins on their faces as they twitched from the electricity. One lioness lunged at Kakuzu, but he caught her in his threads and tore her head off. Another managed to bite his shoulder, but was flung off quickly. Hidan meanwhile made a break for the tree, grabbing the severed head of the recently killed lioness.

"STAY BACK! I HAVE DARK POWERS YOU CANNOT IMAGINE!" In the center of the cave stood a lioness with a positively maniacal grin on her face, cackling and babbled incoherently. Hiding in a crevice in the tree was a barely adult lioness, shaking with fear. The insane lioness had a dull brown-grey pelt, a dark brown stripe running from her back onto her forehead, and eyes as blue and cold as ice.

Hidan ignored her yelling and painted a circle of blood around himself with the lionesse's severed head. Dropping it to the floor, he licked the blood on his claws and his fur gained a black and white skeletal pattern. Hidan laughed maniacally and plunged one of his forepaws into his own chest, ripping out his heart. It continued to beat as he held it, and suddenly the insane lioness cried out as her own heart was somehow yanked out. Hidan shivered in ecstasy from the pain as the lioness gurgled her last breaths. The young lioness watching gasped, tears streaming out of her crimson eyes. Summoning her bravery, she leap out of the crevice and tackled Hidan.

Hidan was caught off guard and only managed to grab ahold of her right ear. He bit out a chunk of it and the lioness gave him a huge blow with her paw, sending him sliding out of the tree. Seeing her chance she ran out as fast as she could, blood pouring out of her ear. Hidan wanted to go after her, but couldn't move that well until his heart was re-inserted into his body.

"Damnit..." he moaned as he crawled over to Kakuzu, who was surrounded by the slaughtered bodies of the guards.

"You killed her?" Kakuzu asked impatiently.

"Yeah... but some bitch was hiding, she ambushed me and got away..." Hidan growled angrily.

"The insane lioness was the only one on the list, so it doesn't matter if one got away. Now flip over, we have to get moving."

Kakuzu grabbed Hidan's heart and surrounded it with threads. As he placed it into Hidan's chest the heart was reconnected with the body, although it would take a while for the skin to heal over it.

"Whatever... let's go." Hidan got up, and the pair began to walk.

* * *

"L-lady Zira? Are you alright?" Kiujanja stammered as she saw the lioness running towards them.

"Kiburi, Kiujanja... the pride is gone. The Hunters came and slaughtered the guards and my mother. There is nobody left..." Zira snarled angrily, and slashed at a tree.

"W-we saw them on our way here! We didn't know they were after our pride, I swear!" Kiburi said nervously.

"It's alright. From now on, we three are the pride. We need to find somewhere else to live, and I have an idea. It's about a week and a half's journey from here, but I have heard good things about The Pridelands. As we grow strong, we will track down those two, and destroy them!" Zira ended her speech with a roar, which the two lionesses responded to with their own.

* * *

"Nala, I've had enough! Someone has to do something, the land is as dry as a bone and the herds are thinning! If Scar doesn't stop this we will all die!" Konan shot her paper lance into a tree with frustration. She rarely got angry, but she could clearly see that Scar was not meant to rule and the land was withering before her eyes. Even though it was monsoon season the land hadn't had a drop of rain for weeks. It was as if the kingdom was cursed.

"Konan, there's nothing we can do! Scar is a fool, he'll never listen!" Nala tried to talk her friend out of it, but Konan remained resolute

The lionesses had grown into beautiful adults, Konan still wearing a white-purple rose next to her right ear. She was slender yet strong, and had even grown a small tuft of fur on her head similar to her original hairstyle. Nala's bright peach fur had darkened into a lovely beige, and with her apple green eyes and athletic body she was unique. Both lionesses' muzzles had lengthened and their voices had matured as well.

"We don't know unless we try. Even he has to acknowledge what's happening to the Pride Lands!" Konan growled and began padding towards Pride Rock, a determined frown etched on her muzzle.

"Please be careful, there's no telling what he'll do!" Nala yelled after her friend in concern

Meanwhile, in Pride Rock's royal cave, Scar was moping.

"Zazu, why am I not loved?" he asked as he tossed away a bone.

"Simple, sire. Things around here have gone to _pot!_ " Zazu was not afraid of speaking his mind, as he had little respect for Scar.

"Oh pish. What's important is how _I_ feel." Scar said as he got off his platform.

"The Pridelands have become the armpit of Africa-" Zazu tried to tell Scar what was wrong, but Scar mumbled to himself instead.

"I'm warm, witty... good looking," Scar smirked.

"Hyenas are prancing around like they own the place!" Zazu continued ranting and cleaned up some bones.

"I can tell a joke like nobody's business..."

"There isn't enough water to fill a nut's navel!" Zazu was close to screeching with annoyance.

"Is something missing? What is it?" Scar wondered to himself.

"Your grasp on reality! Do something before The Pridelands go completely down the dumper!" Zazu had had enough and flew into Scar's face, desperate for him to listen.

"Now if Mufasa were alive..." Zazu landed and began.

"Oh _shut up! Mufasa, Mufasa_ , I'm sick to _death_ of him!" Scar growled and slammed his paw onto Zazu, scaring off some nearby birds.

"Consider it shut!" Zazu mumbled nervously.

"What did _he_ have that I don't have?" Scar released Zazu and paced angrily.

"Nothing, you lack nothing at all! Except a few.. minor things. Adoring subjects, respect of your species, a loving family, a devoted queen! Shall I go on sire?" Zazu said, on a roll.

"A queen.. yes... I need a queen!" Scar's face lit up with the idea and he grabbed Zazu.

"A q-q-a _q-what?_ " Zazu stammered.

"She would rule by my side. We'll have cubs! Little Scars, running all over the place! My heirs.. my descendants, _my lineage!_ I will be, _immortal!_ " Scar was ecstatic over the idea.

"Scar?" a new voice interrupted his ramblings as Konan walked into the den.

"Aaaahh, Konan... your timing couldn't be more perfect, _do_ come in. That will be all, Zazu" Scar gushed at Konan and threw Zazu over his shoulder.

 _'What's he up to?'_ Konan thought suspiciously.

"Oh.. don't you think I should stay?" Zazu nervously asked.

" _That will be all!_ " Scar said more forcefully, and Zazu flew out of the den in fear.

"Oh, come a little closer... I won't bite!" Scar padded towards Konan, an odd glint in his eye.

"Scar, it's chaos out there, and _you_ need to put a stop to it!" Konan went straight to the point, but Scar wasn't really listening. He sniffed his breath and smoothed back his mane instead.

"The world is full of problems, even for a king..." Scar padded closer and Konan narrowed her eyes.

* * *

 _"It's tough at the top, I deserve a.. companion, a mate who will start.."_ Scar began to circle Konan, and she looked stunned.

 _'Is he doing what I think he is?'_

 _"...my cylinders firing with fervor, and you, my sweet dear, fit the part!"_ Scar grinned and began to sing.

 _"What?!"_ she protested.

 _"A king alone is a sad, sad thing, but a king without heirs... now that's a tradegy!"_ Scar rubbed up against Konan, much to her disgust.

 _'He is.. he's coming onto me! Sick bastard...'_ Konan thought with revulsion.

 _"You can't be serious!"_ Konan moved away from Scar with a snarl.

 _"I've never been more serious.."_ Konan attempted to escape, but Scar leapt in front of her.

 _"Be prepared for a stunning proposal! That power, and beauty should bond!"_ Scar began to back Konan into a corner, and she could see no way out. Her fear was growing, but also her anger.

 _'I can't believe it. How could he dare! I'm physically half his age, for Kami's sake!'_ she thought with exasperation.

 _"Which cannot but fail to ensure cries of hail to!"_ Scar began to pant and the glint in his eye grew brighter.

 _"The chief and his consort, the sine qua non sort!"_ Scar began to sing rapidly, almost madly, pushing Konan up onto a wall.

 _"Of ruling ascendance, our line of descendants, will flow through the pride and **beyond!** " _he yelled the last line as he hung over her. Konan could take no more and gave him a very vicious clawing that would be sure to scar.

* * *

Scar backed up with a wince, holding his cheek.

"Aghh... heh ha ha ha.. Konan, Konan, Konan, tsk tsk tsk. You know you really have no choice. One way or another, I _always_ get what I want!" Scar said with a smirk as she ran out of the den.

 _'He is absolutely vile, I didn't think even **he** would sink that low!' _ Konan was positively fuming, and ran to stand by a group of lionesses and Nala.

"The pride be my witness, I choose **Konan** as my queen!" Scar yelled to the pride as he padded out of the den.

"And I reject you, you sick bastard!" Konan said venomously, Nala gaining a look of shock.

"Either be my queen, or be forever banished from The Pridelands." Scar gave the ultimatum as he sat on a rock in front of her.

"Scar, you can't do this!" Nala protested.

"Take her away.." Scar commanded with a wave of his paw.

"You can't be serious..." Sarafina piped up.

"Didn't you hear me?" he asked angrily.

"No!"

"I said take her away! I am the king, _you must do as I say!_ " he snarled, but this caused the lionesses to circle protectively around Konan.

"Ahhh, so that's the game... mutiny, eh? Insurrection!" Scar growled.

"Well, I don't require your respect, only your obedience!" with his words hyenas began to swarm over Pride Rock, startling the lionesses.

"Chase her off!" Scar demanded, pointing at Konan, and the hyenas leapt.

 _'Damnit! I can't fend off so many...'_ Konan began to run, grabbing her sheet of paper along the way. She thought briefly of using it, but decided it would tire her out too much and kept running. To her surprise, she heard something come up beside her and saw Nala.

"What are you doing Nala? Don't follow me, you'll be banished too!" Konan urged her friend.

"I don't care for The Pridelands much anymore, it's a horrible place with Scar as king! Maybe we can go find help, and we can overthrow Scar." Nala looked back and noticed they were past the borders, and the hyenas were gone.

"Maybe... come on, we better find some shelter." The pair ran off into the unknown, hoping to find something that would save them.

* * *

Back at Pride Rock, Tobi had watched the scene unfold from the shadows. He was now a fully grown lion, with a lithe build and a somewhat spiky looking onyx mane. His mask, oddly enough, had grown with him and fit fine. He had spent months meditating and training, and could now use his mangekyo sharingan with relative ease. It caused him more pain that it originally had, but it still worked. Tobi was ready to execute his plan with Kamui, but he now had lost all his members. But he had confidence they would return, oddly enough. Scar wouldn't last much longer, that was certain. Tobi had used his mangekyo sharingan on a hyena, and it was his spy. Even the hyenas were becoming thin from lack of food, and Scar barely fed them. Tobi could see everyone, even the hyenas were at a breaking point, and would revolt eventually. He'd also caught wind that Hida and Kakuzu were rogue hunters, and planned to find and bring them back. He felt a presence watching him, and activated his mangekyo sharingan. He allowed the hyena to get a good look at his eye, sowing seeds of rebellion in her mind.

"You old fool... the most important rule of being a leader is respect. Obedience only will not get you very far..." he chuckled sinisterly and padded off. The witness to him was the same female hyena who had seen him as a cub, and now her worst fears were realized.

 _'He's not right... even more so than Scar! I should tell the king about this.. but, he hasn't been treating us that well lately... I don't know if we can really trust him anymore.'_ the hyena padded off, troubled.

* * *

"Hey, Nagato..." Simba asked his friend, who lay next to him. The group were stargazing, lying on a grass slope and looking up at the night sky. They had all grown, Simba had quite a strong build, and a red mane that framed his face. He wasn't as large as his father was, and had darker fur. Deidara had a lithe build, and his mane had grown in a similar style to his human hair, with one long thick blond lock covering his left eye. Kisame was the largest, and his mane was big and stiff. The mane on top of his head curved upward and backward a little, like his original hair. It had also framed his face, and covered much of his torso. Nagato was thin, but had a stronger build than Scar, and had a silky red mane that hung over his eyes a little bit.

"Yes, Simba?" Nagato replied.

"My dad told me, a long time ago, that the stars are the Great Kings of The Past, and they watch over and protect us. Do you think he's up there too?" Simba whispered.

"Who knows? Your father loved you Simba, he would want to watch over and protect you." Nagato said softly, feeling at peace gazing up at the shimmering sparkles.

"I don't know what's up there, hm. Maybe there is a place where all the dead people go..." Deidara interjected.

"If there is, I'm not sure if we're going there. I'm probably going straight to hell when I die." Kisame said with a glance at the ground.

"I've blown up a lot of buildings and people, so I guess I am too." Deidara said with a frown.

"Maybe we'll get a chance at redemption someday..." Nagato whispered.

"I hope so. I'd hate to be up there without you guys!" Simba said with a grin, and the group chuckled.

* * *

 **Wow, longest chapter yet! That little bit with Zira just popped into my head, so I decided to add it to spice it up a little. This chapter was darker than the others, so I added that bit at the end to lighten it a little. Next chapter the girls reunite with the exiles, and we come to one of my favorite scenes of the movie..."Can You Feel The Love Tonight" Here's a hint on what I have in store: It's not just for Simba and Nala this time. Afterwards they make it to The Pridelands, and Hidan and Kakuzu stop to watch what happens. Tobi sees to Scar too. I'm unsure if the next chapter will be the last one, but if it isn't the one after it definitely will be. There will be an epilogue after the last chapter, to set up the sequel (Yes, there will be one). As a last bonus there will be a deleted scenes chapter, so stick around for more goodies. Drop a review if you want, and see you next chapter!**


	10. Chapter 10: Love

**Hey guys, here's the second to last chapter! It goes through the reunion, and it also includes a bit detailing Zira meeting Scar and how she came to be his queen, plus a brief paragraph to do with Rafiki. To address something, Nagato has told Kisame and Deidara his real name, as the exiles have formed a strong bond and he felt that he could trust them. It was also to clear up the confusion they had at his appearance. This chapter has barely any Kisame or Deidara in it, because those two seemed out of place in the reunion scenes. They will meet up with everyone and return with them, though.**

 **Since Nagato's rinnegan eyes are so iconic, I've made it so that he now always has them, but they aren't exactly "activated" per se. He just has them at the ready, and doing this doesn't drain much of his chi. Looking at them while they are in this "Standby" state won't affect whoever is looking at them either. When he actually uses them to perform techniques however, it uses up a significant amount of his chi.**

 **Also, "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" will take place, albeit it will center around Konan and Nagato this time with some changes compared to the original scene. I've never really written romance before (Ironic, I know. Just look at my username!), so tell me whether I did a good job or not. Kiburi means "Arrogant" and Kiujanja means "Flawed", and they are the characters "Spotty" and "Dotty" from TLK 2. They haven't gotten their nicknames yet, they will eventually. Anyway, onwards to chapter 10: Love.**

Zira, Kiburi and Kiujanja stepped into The Prideland's territory. They'd narrowly avoided a hyena patrol, and Kiujanja was shocked at the state of the land.

"I used to live here, and look at it now... so gray and dreary, devoid of life! Zira, maybe we should turn back-"

"No! We're survivors, we can't be picky right now. Besides, a pride does live here, and I have met the king before." Zira looked towards the rock structure hopefully, and the group ran towards it.

"Hmmm.. I don't recognize those three..." Scar's eyes narrowed as he saw a trio of lionesses running towards Pride Rock.

"There, see? That lion up there is King Scar." Zira gestured towards Scar as the group stopped at the rock's base.

"You three! Who are you, and why are you trespassing in my kingdom?" Scar growled, hyenas surrounding the lionesses. The lionesses flanking the middle one were skinny and had grey-brown fur. One was lighter than the other, but their most unique aspect were the three dots under their eyes. One had them under her right eye, and the other under her left. The lioness in the middle had a stronger build, and had tan fur. She had a brown stripe running from a bit below her ears to just above her eyes. Her right ear also had a circular notch in it.

"My name is Zira, and these are my companions Kiburi and Kiujanja. We were part of The Wetlands pride, but we were attacked and destroyed. We are the only survivors, and wish to seek a place here." Zira stood firm, unfazed by the hyenas.

 _'Hmm... Zira.. where have I heard that name? Ah, yes, I remember. I met her once when I went with Ahadi on diplomatic business. As far as I can recall she was feisty, and determined. I may have found myself a queen after all...'_ Scar thought with a smirk, and replied to Zira.

"Yes, I remember you, Zira. I will allow you to stay, but you must hunt with the rest of the lionesses. Wouldn't want your talents going to waste." Scar nodded, and the hyenas backed off.

"Thank you, my king. Come, we should introduce ourselves to the other lionesses.." Zira sighed with relief and the trio padded off.

Sarabi didn't like Zira. Something felt... off about her. Her name also seemed to ring a bell, but she couldn't recall why. Her two friends didn't seem much better either. As a few days passed, Zira did hunt. But she broke one of the most vital hunting rules in doing so.

"That's right, suffer, you little whelps! Your meat will sustain creatures more worthy than you!" Zira had found a sickly Zebra, trailed by two young foals. The other lionesses had taken down the zebra but left the foals. They never killed young, no matter how hungry they were. The young continued the circle of life and were looked upon with fondness. To kill one in cold blood was considered despicable.

The foals were crying out in fear, shaking. Zira laughed and slashed at the first one's throat, causing it to collapse. As it's sibling watched with horror it's spine was broken. The first foal gargled it's last breaths, but the other one was less lucky. It was writhing in agony, and Zira was enjoying every moment of it. In her old pride it was kill or be killed. Only the strong survived, and they did so by any means necessary. Zira's mother and father had been the rulers of the pride, so she knew this better than most. To her, killing was as natural as breathing.

"Zira! What have you done? Those were innocent children, you know the hunting rules!" Sarafina growled as she saw what Zira was doing, and promptly thwacked the writhing foal, ending it's torment.

"Times are hard right now, _Sarafina._ We can only survive if we take everything we can get!" Zira sneered at the other lioness.

"Enough! Zira, we will discuss what you have done later. Now, we shall take our kill back to Pride Rock. Leave the foals." Sarabi commanded, and the hunting party began to move.

Zira growled, but as the hunting party had their backs turned she grabbed one of the foal carcasses and began to drag it back to Pride Rock.

* * *

"Scar? Are you here? I have brought you a gift, as a gesture of good faith." Zira had dragged the foal carcass into Scar's cave.

"Hmm? Ahh, a carcass. This is appreciated Zira, and I have an idea of how to... _repay_ you." Scar padded over to the lioness with a smirk on his face.

"Oh? What would that be?" Zira asked with surprise

"Well, you see, I am the king of these lands. However, a king needs heirs, and I don't even have a mate. That is what I seek.. a queen to rule by my side." Scar said with a suggestive smirk, and Zira blushed.

 _'So he thinks he can fluster me? Well, two can play at that game..'_ Zira smirked seductively and ran her tail under Scar's chin.

"Well, _my king,_ it sounds like you'll need a good lioness for that position. Who, pray tell, do you have in mind?" she asked with feigned innocence.

"Oh, she's someone I know. Strong, determined, feisty. A good hunter, too..." Scar hinted, returning Zira's gesture.

"She sounds like queen material... and what if she _would_ want to fill this position?" Zira rubbed herself on Scar.

"She'd be most welcome to, indeed. A great beauty like her should be treasured..." Scar said, circling Zira.

"Well, I think she'll go ahead then..." Zira closed the distance between them and licked Scar's cheek, earning a smirk from him.

"For better or worse, I will now take her as my queen..." Scar finished, and they proceeded to enjoy each other's company for a while.

* * *

A distance from the Pridelands, Rafiki sat in his baobab tree. Suddenly, a gust of wind shook the gourds he had hung up, and the wind carried with it seeds, petals, and leaves. Rafiki was alert and grabbed a handful of the mixture, sniffing it. Carefully, he sat down and dropped the mixture into a tortoise shell. He mixed it around calmly, humming to himself. He stopped briefly, grabbing and breaking open a fruit to eat, in a ponderous position. His eyebrows went up in surprise as he peered closer into the tortoise shell.

"Simba and the others?" he exclaimed with disbelief

"They're alive.. they're alive!" Rafiki ran to grab his staff and went over to some scratched out paintings of lion cubs. Next to them were crude drawings of seven humanoid figures. Each one had unique features and were surrounded by differently colored outlines.

Laughing with joy, he used some dyes below him to draw manes on the cubs. Next to them, he added dots above a few of the humanoids.

"It is time!" he proclaimed with a nod.

* * *

Konan and Nala had been running through the desert and were exhausted. They'd found no prides or lions, and were hungry. Konan's sheet of paper was gone, having been used to fend off some attacking vultures. It had provided them with some meat, but it was vile and not very filling. Konan saw something green, squinting her eyes at the distant color.

 _'Is that...'_ Konan thought hopefully.

"Hey Nala, do you see that green area over there?" Konan asked her friend, nodding at the direction of the green thing.

"Yeah. But what if it's a mirage?" Nala asked skeptically.

"I don't know, but going there we could find some water. It's a better idea than just wandering." Konan replied, and Nala nodded with a sigh.

The duo had gotten close to the green and saw it to be a large bunch of trees. On the ground near them was a small pond as well.

"Hey, I think this is real!" Nala exclaimed as she dipped her paw into the water.

"It is.. this must be a sign, something has to live around here for sure." Konan replied with a smile, and the lionesses lapped greedily at the water.

As they went farther in, they noticed the small area was actually the start of a massive jungle. Suddenly, Nala spotted something brown moving off to her left.

"I think I've found some prey!" she whispered, pointing to the brown thing which was in fact Pumbaa.

"Well let's-" Konan began, but heard a voice off to the right.

"Wait, I think there might be another over here... let's split up, you go left and I'll go right." Konan suggested; Nala nodded.

While Nala began to stalk Pumbaa, who was after a blue beetle, Konan spotted Timon.

"I can't hear ya buddy, back me up!" Timon yelled after his friend, not realizing he was gone.

"A-weeeee, eee-eee-eee, a pumba bamboway... ah, Pumbaa? Pumbaa?" Timon looked around for his friend, unaware of the lioness getting ready to pounce.

"Hmm, wonder where he went off to..." he began to walk and Konan pounced, missing him by inches.

"Aaaaah!" Timon ran as fast as he could from Konan, screaming girlishly.

Meanwhile, Nala was getting ready to attack Pumbaa, who had stopped to get a big blue beetle.

"Timon?" Pumbaa turned and asked as he heard something behind him. He shrugged after a moment and got ready to eat the beetle.

"Got ya, little fella..." Pumbaa spotted something slinking nearby and was momentarily distracted. The blue beetle flew away, but his eyes remained glued to the thing in the grass. He recognized it was something getting ready to pounce and screamed.

Realizing she had been spotted, Nala leapt towards Pumbaa with a roar, causing the warthog to run away. Pumbaa was chased to a large root, which he got stuck in. He had managed to outrun Nala by a bit, mainly because she kept getting caught in vines. She was still gaining however, and Timon ran towards Pumbaa.

"Pumbaa, there's-"

"SHE'S GONNA EAT ME!" Pumbaa interrupted him as he tried desperately to get out of the root.

"Why do I always have to save your-aaaah!" Timon pulled at Pumbaa's tusks, but caught sight of Konan.

As the lionesses pounced, they in turn were pounced on. Simba and Nagato had heard the nearby commotion and come to help with a roar.

* * *

Meanwhile...

"I still can't believe this place is so peaceful, hm.." Deidara idly wondered as he molded some clay into a small bird using his hand-mouths. The pair were near the waterfall, using their chi for practice.

"Yeah. We've been here forever and nothing's attacked us. I miss the action, honestly." Kisame was swimming in a pool, transforming some of it into small sharks which launched themselves at a nearby tree. They tore most of it apart quickly, causing it to topple over.

"As long as I can still do art, I don't really care that I don't get attacked. I wonder what the others are doing..." Deidara had finished his bird, and it flew into the sky and over the trees.

* * *

"Yeah, get her, bite her head! I told you they'd come in handy!" Timon cheered as the lions fought briefly. Nala quickly pinned Simba, and Nagato faltered as he caught sight of the flower in Konan's fur.

"Nala?" Simba asked the beige lioness, a look of faint recognition on his face. Nala got off him and backed up in confusion

"K-Konan?" Nagato asked the lilac lioness in shock, causing her to stop attacking him

"Who are you?" Nala asked Simba

"It's me, Simba..." Simba replied with a smile

"But how-" Konan took in the sight of the male before her, and noticed a few things immediately. The silky red hair, the pale fur color, and the purple, ringed eyes. She knew only one person who had that appearance.

"N.. Nagato?" she whispered, frozen.

All at once, the clearing exploded into a frenzy of frantic greetings and joyful exclamations. Simba and Nala were more animated that Nagato and Konan, jumping and bumping heads, batting at each other. Nagato and Konan merely touched heads, and then sat to talk. They were just as overjoyed as the other two, but were more accustomed to showing it subtly.

"Whoa, whoa whoa, what's goin' on here?!" Timon yelled, thoroughly confused.

"Timon, this is Nala..." Simba said with a nod at said lioness.

"And this is Konan." Nagato gestured towards her.

"They're our best friends!" Simba exclaimed.

"Friends?" he asked.

"Yes... hey Pumbaa, come over here!" Nagato said to the warthog, who had managed to free himself from the tree root.

"Nala, Konan, this is Pumbaa. Pumbaa, Konan and Nala." Nagato continued.

"Pleased to make your acquaintances..." Pumbaa said to the two lionesses.

"Pleasure's all ours!" Konan said with a smile.

"How do you d-wait, whoa, whoa who, timeout! You ladies just tried to eat us! And now we're all buddies? DID I MISS SOMETHING HERE?!" Timon was getting a migraine from all the confusion.

"Relax, Timon..." Simba soothed.

"Hey, are Deidara and Kisame here too?" Konan asked, and Nagato nodded.

"Wait till everyone finds out you've all been here.. and your mother, Simba. What will she think?" Nala looked at Simba, who flinched under her gaze.

"She doesn't have to know... nobody has to know." he said with a frown.

"Of course they do, everyone believes you to be dead!" Konan interjected.

"Yeah, Scar told us about the stampede..." Nala continued, trailing off with a sad look.

"Sick bastard, should've known he lied..." Konan muttered angrily, earning a look of surprise from Nagato.

"...what else did he tell you?" Simba asked hesitantly.

"What else matters, you're all alive! And that means.. Simba, you're the king!" Nala exclaimed.

"Your majesty! I gravel at your feet!" Pumbaa bowed and kissed Simba's paws.

"Stop it!"

"It's grovel, not gravel, and don't, he's not the king! Are ya?" Timon asked.

"No!"

"Simba!" Nala exclaimed with a frown.

"Look, maybe I was gonna be, but that was a long time ago..." Simba trailed off and looked at the ground.

"Could you guys excuse us for a few minutes?" Nala asked Timon and Pumbaa. Meanwhile Nagato and Konan had began to pad off elsewhere.

"Pfft! Whatever Simba has to say, he can say it in front of us! Right buddy?" Timon asked Simba.

"Ah... I think you guys had better sit this one out..." Simba answered apologetically, and the pair looked stunned.

"It starts! You think you know a guy..." Timon sighed, and they walked off.

* * *

"Timon and Pumbaa, you learn to love em' " Simba joked, but Nala padded off to the side, looking distraught.

"What? What is it?" Simba asked with a worried expression, padding up to her.

"It's like you're back from the dead.. you have no idea how much this will mean to everyone!" she looked downward and closed her eyes.

"What it means to me..." She whispered.

"Hey, it's okay.." Simba said comfortingly.

"I've really missed you..." she nuzzled Simba, much to his surprise.

"I've missed you, too..." he returned the nuzzle.

* * *

"Nagato... I always thought you and the others made it. Me and Nala kept hoping, and it's been so long..." Konan whispered to Nagato, as the pair sat next to each other.

"Scar's hyena's chased us off after the stampede. We managed to get away, and found this place. I thought it would be best to stay here and get stronger, but even after we were ready I stayed. Konan... I'm a damned coward. I couldn't save Mufasa, I didn't do _anything!_ Simba lost his father and it's all my fault. I know I should leave but I just.. part of me doesn't what to face what I've done..." Nagato was close to tears, finally pouring out his troubles.

"Nagato, it's not your fault! You couldn't have known what would have happened. Sometimes bad things just can't be stopped, no matter how hard you want them to be. Like when I was back at The Pridelands, I watched the land wither and die. When I finally stepped up to do something about it... that... that _bastard..._ " Konan's face contorted into a hateful snarl.

"What happened, Konan?" Nagato moved a bit closer to her, and wrapped his tail around her side to show he was there for her if she needed him.

"I.. I went to see Scar. I was going to demand that he do something about The Prideland's state. The land was dry, food was so scarce. Clouds hung over without raining at all. Even Scar should have seen the effects. When I tried though... he.. he started circling me... saying he needed a queen for heirs. He began to downright assault me, backing me up against a wall. I managed to slap him and run away, but if I hadn't..." tears began to drip down her muzzle.

"Scar.. he would have raped me!" Konan couldn't hold in her emotion and burst into sobs, clinging to Nagato. He rubbed her back comfortingly, inside burning with rage at what Scar had done.

 _'I'll kill him.. he doesn't deserve to live.'_

"Konan, I'm so sorry. I should have been with you, to help you. I sat here in this cozy jungle while you've suffered such an ordeal. I-I've really missed you Konan. I couldn't really tell anybody about my guilt, I didn't want to bother them..." Nagato sighed and hung his head.

Konan had stopped sobbing and now sat next to him again, but she felt terrible seeing her best friend in such a state.

"I've missed you too, Nagato.. so much..." Konan moved towards him and nuzzled him, shocking him out of his depression.

"K-Konan... you..." Konan pulled back and smiled warmly at him, and Nagato returned it with a tender look of his own. The pair nuzzled again, content.

* * *

Timon and Pumbaa watched the scene unfold from some bushes, and Timon sighed.

"This stinks!"

"Oh, sorry." Pumbaa apologized.

"Not you, them! Him, her, alone!" the pair in question began to pad off somewhere, smiles on their faces.

"What's wrong with that?"

 _"I can see what's happening..."_

 _"What?"_

 _"And they're just gonna want more..."_

 _"Who?"_

 _"They'll fall in love and here's the bottom line... our sextet's down to four."_

 _"Oh.."_

 _"Ze sweet caress of twilight! There's magic everywhere! With all this **roman-tic** atmosphere... disaster's in the aiiir!"_

 _Can you feel, the love tonight?_ Nagato and Konan ran down some rocks next to a waterfall, each glancing at the other from time to time.

 _The peace the evening brings..._

 _The world for once..._

 _In perfect harmony!_

The pair padded across a trail of rocks in the water, bounding and smiling as if they were dancing. They stopped briefly, and just looked into one another's eyes before proceeding to the shore of the pond.

 _With all it's li-ving things..._

Konan stopped and lowered her head to the water, lapping at it. Nagato moved to do the same, and sighed.

 _"I feel like such a coward, hiding all this time. All I've done is sat and watched. I don't deserve for her to be mine..."_ Nagato thought, feeling melancholy.

 _"He's holding back his burden, but why I can't decide. Why won't he just open up to me, and let me see inside?"_ Konan saw Nagato's sad expression, and stopped lapping to give him a concerned look. Nagato stopped moping and smiled warmly at her, padding playfully past her to do something.

 _Can you feel, the love tonight?_

As Konan watched, she saw him swing on a vine by his teeth and fall in the pond. She quickly looked in to see if she was alright, but Nagato popped up out of the water and dragged her in.

 _The peace the evening brings?_

Konan yelped and leapt out of the water, coughing and shivering. Nagato padded over to her with a silly grin, but she just smirked and pushed him back into the pond

 _The world for once..._

Konan and Nagato ran through a field of grass, startling some golden-white butterflies.

 _In perfect harmony!_

 _With all it's li-ving things..._

They re-entered the jungle and batted playfully at each other, and when Konan tripped over a ledge Nagato quickly grabbed her to keep her safe. The pair tumbled down a hill, the soft grass cushioning them. The butterflies they had disturbed surrounded them as they stopped, laying side-by-side and looking into each other's eyes.

 _Can you feel, the love tonight?_

Konan closed her eyes and pushed her muzzle against Nagato's, causing his eyes to widen. As Konan pulled back, she looked at him with a tender smile, and her eyes conveyed a message:

 ** _I love you.._**

Nagato smiled, and returned her look.

 ** _I love you too..._**

 _Stealing through, the night's uncertainties!_

 _Love is where they are..._

The pair nuzzled, and stayed together into the night.

* * *

 _"And if they fall, in love tonight.. it can be assumed..."_ Timon was sniffling as he and Pumbaa saw both pairs of lions share loving looks.

 _"Their carefree days, with us are history!"_ Pumbaa continued.

 _"In short our pals..."_ they sang together.

 _"Are dooooooomed!"_ After they finished, they burst into tears and walked off.

* * *

 **Wow... this chapter is the longest I've ever written. I was going to include the group setting off to return, but I'd rather not cram any more into this beast. Plus, I like to end on a sweet note. Next chapter the gang returns to the Pridelands and everything goes down. Drop a review if you want, and see you for the finale!**


	11. Chapter 11: To Be King

**Hello, everyone, and welcome to the last chapter of this story! Unofficially I guess, since there will be an epilogue after this and a deleted scenes chapter. I'll also post a note to inform everyone that the sequel is up when I put it up. In this chapter, the Akatsuki finally get some insight on how and why they were dumped into the TLK universe, and then go off to have a showdown with Scar. Hidan and Kakuzu stop by too, mostly to watch. Zira has also given birth to Nuka and already dislikes him. As for the Akatsuki going back to their universe? Well, you'll just have to read to see how that unfolds. Onwards to the end!**

Zira licked the tiny bundle of fur between her paws desperately. She had given birth to Scar's cub, but he was quite premature and very weak. She sighed in relief when the cub gave a small mew, and placed him by her teats so he could suckle. The cub had a grey-brown pelt, creamy underfur and was covered in dark grey spots. He was very skinny and scruffy, and his eyes were not yet open.

 _'Perhaps he's so weak because I got little nutrition myself.. damn it, I've gone soft. If **I** was born like this, my parent's would've left me to die!' _ Zira thought angrily, and pushed the cub away. This caused him to mew loudly as Scar came into the den.

"What is it? Is the cub.." he trailed off when he caught sight of the weak, pathetic creature before him.

"...I see. He is unworthy, far too weak to rule. I name him Nuka, for he reeks of failure..." Scar turned away from his son without a second glance.

"Agh, shut up!" Zira snapped at the mewling cub, resenting it even more for what it had caused.

"...Zira? Are you alright?" Sarafina came into the den, carrying her young cub Mheetu on her back.

"No, I am not! My cub is a _pathetic weakling!_ " she spat.

"Zira! He's just a cub, he cannot help how he was born." Sarafina frowned at Zira's attitude and padded over to Nuka.

"There there, shhh. I still have some milk left, little one. I will feed you for now." Sarafina lay down and pulled the cub to her teats. Mheetu looked curiously at Nuka from his mother's back, never having seen another cub before.

"You should just let him starve! In my pride, we did not tolerate the weak." Zira glared at Nuka with contempt.

"Well Zira, this is not your pride. We care for all of our young, no matter what they are like. What is his name?" Sarafina asked with a frown at Zira.

"...Nuka! A name well deserved, I think..." Zira turned away from her cub, choosing to ignore him.

"I can't believe you would treat your own cub this way, Zira. I will feed him for you, but he needs _your_ love and attention." Sarafina curled up around Nuka and nuzzled him soothingly.

* * *

Deidara and Kisame ran through the jungle. Deidara's bird had oddly enough returned to him, and informed him of Konan and Nala's presence. They were eager to meet up with the others, but were confused when all they could find were Timon and Pumbaa.

"I can't believe them! They've left us to go runnin' head first into danger! What did I do wrong?!" Timon was sobbing on Pumbaa's shoulder.

Simba had been full of guilt for what he believed he had done, but had received a message from his father Mufasa, who implored him to take his place as the rightful king and bring balance to The Circle of Life. Nagato had poured out his guilt to Konan, who comforted him and shouldered his pain. All four lions had met up and set out towards Pride Rock, ready to take down Scar.

"Uh.. have you guys seen Simba or Nagato?" Kisame interjected.

"Well, actually, they met up with some friends of theirs, and they've decided to go back home to reclaim their kingdom! Timon's not too happy about it though..." Pumbaa answered with a glance at his friend.

"We gotta follow after them, hm! No way are they leaving us out, which way did they go?" Deidara asked, and Pumbaa pointed a hoof left.

"Come on then, let's go! No way am I missing out on a fight..." Kisame ran off, Deidara trailing behind with a cry of, "Wait up!"

"You know Timon, I think we should go too. We throw down our lives for a noble cause, and help out our best buds! It's a win-win." Pumbaa nodded and began to jog after the lions, leaving a stunned Timon.

"Oh sure, LET'S ALL GO CRAZY!" Timon yelled, but reluctantly followed.

Deidara and Kisame caught up with the other lions, puffing. They'd made it to some grasslands, a fair distance from the jungle.

"We're coming to help, hm! We haven't been sitting around practicing for nothing." Deidara affirmed.

"Good, I'd hoped you would follow us. Konan and Nala know the way." Nagato replied with a nod at the lionesses.

"You guys sure you want to do this? It's gonna be pretty dangerous..." Simba said with a frown.

"Simba, I've been lazing around in a jungle for a year and a half. I _need_ some danger right now." Kisame said, flexing his claws.

Suddenly, Konan tripped over something; a stick. Only it was an odd looking stick, with some fruits hung on it.

"Ahh, dere it is!" a voice exclaimed, it's owner appearing to pick up the stick.

"And it would seem I have found someting else, yes?" Rafiki grinned at the lions, who just looked confused.

"Who's that?" Nala asked.

"I am here to show you de way! Some of you still don't realize your place in dis world, and I have come to help." Rafiki nodded at the Akatsuki lions.

"Wait.. I think that's the same monkey who held Simba over Pride Rock!" Deidara realized.

"Him? He could be insane for all we know.." Kisame eyed the shaman suspiciously.

"What do you want, baboon?" Konan cut in, intrigued.

"Follow me, and you will find out!" Rafiki began to run, and the lions obliged.

* * *

After running through an odd forest Rafiki came to a stop inside a large cave. It was no ordinary cave, however. The interior walls were covered in paintings.

"Dis is de Cave of Journeys. It holds all de tales of dose who have been brought here, and who are yet to be brought. You four and de other tree of your group are no exception. Come, and I will show you why you are here..." Rafiki gestured to a still painting of seven humanoid figures, all resembling the Akatsuki members in some way. Suddenly, the pictures _moved._

"Do not fear. Dis is de magic of de Great Kings, for dey are de ones who called you here.." the images showed several ghostly lions surrounding the humans, and they collapsed one by one. Their bodies changed shape into lion cubs and they got up.

"Wait, you guys weren't always lions?" Simba asked with shock, Nala sharing the look.

"No. We were different creatures, in a world vastly different from your own. We were transported here one day and became lion cubs.. though I do not know why." Nagato replied.

"In times of great strife, de Pridelands, nay, dis world needs assistance from dose elsewhere in de universe. De Great Kings have chosen you, for all of you possess great strengths, and though you are criminals in your world, here you have been given a chance at redemption. You have done well, de paths you have chosen are good... except for one." the images all combined together, forming the shape of a swirly orange mask.

"Tobi? Uh, you must be joking. He's the dumbest person I've ever seen, hm!" Deidara remarked with disbelief.

"De one you know as Tobi is not who he seems. He is filled wit a great darkness, and though he means no harm to dis world, he plans to cause much of it in his own. He plans to use you as tools to furder his goals." the swirly mask changed, showing an image of a purple-robed masked figure sending out the Akatsuki into some kind of battlefield

"..I should have known this might've happened." Nagato sighed, and the lions turned to look at him.

"The baboon is right, he is not who he seems. He wanted to capture all the tailed beasts, though I am not really sure why. We cannot trust him if this is what he plans to do with us." Nagato finished, and this earned looks of outrage from the lions, except Konan and Kisame who already knew this.

"Calm yourselves. You can choose to follow him, or go your own way. De choice is yours. Now go, you have a kingdom to reclaim!" Rafiki smiled and raised his staff, and the images shifted to show a branching tree.

The lions nodded and ran, full of resolve.

* * *

Timon and Pumbaa raced to catch up to the six lions, all of them crossing a desert. They were getting close to The Pridelands, feeling as if some strange force was willing them onwards. They crossed into the savannah and Konan and Nala were the first to sight the grey, dry ground of The Pridelands. The hyenas were luckily not patrolling that section, so they made it in without much trouble. They slowed to a walk and Simba stopped to look at the land with horror.

"Scar... what has he done?" he whispered.

The land was covered in bones, the trees were twisted and dead, and there was not a blade of grass anywhere. Pride Rock itself seemed dull, lifeless. The Pridelands looked _dead._

"It's like all the life's been sucked out of it.." Nagato stated grimly as he peered at some bones. The group got close to Pride Rock, and hid behind a fallen tree when they saw hyenas.

"Why aren't the clouds raining? This place must be cursed or something." Kisame exclaimed as he looked at the overhanging clouds.

"Maybe it is, hm. That monkey said those Great Kings are what brought us here, so they must be powerful. Maybe they cursed this place because Scar was never supposed to be king." Deidara said, surprisingly insightful.

"You could be right. We need to get in there and dethrone him." Nala nodded, then the lions jumped at a sound behind them.

"Whoa whoa guys, it's just us!" Timon held his hands up in surrender and the lions relaxed.

"What are you guys doing here?" Simba asked.

"We've come to help you guys out. We're with you to the end." Timon said with a nod, and Simba smiled.

"Ughhh, I hate hyenas. So what do you guys have in mind for getting past them?" he continued as he saw the cackling scavengers.

"Live bait." Kisame replied with a smirk.

"That sounds like a- _hey!_ " Timon protested when he saw Kisame looking at them.

"We really need your help with this. We need you to distract them." Deidara interjected, and Pumbaa sighed.

"What're we supposed to do, dress in drag and do the hula?" Timon joked.

"Let's go, Timon! It's time to lay down our lives for a noble cause!" Pumbaa grinned, and trotted off, Timon trailing after him.

"Yeah, well, I was hoping we wouldn't actually have to do that..." he grumbled.

* * *

"Hu-wow!" Timon was dressed in a hula outfit, standing on top of Pumbaa. Pumbaa was on a bed of leaves with an apple in his mouth.

"If you're hungry for a hunk of fat and juicy meat, eat my buddy Pumbaa here because he is a treat!" Timon began to sing loudly, catching the attention of the hyenas.

"Come on down and dine, on this tasty swine, all you have to do is get in liiiine!" Timon hopped off Pumbaa and danced, and the hyenas began to move towards them, drooling.

"Aaaare you achin'"

"Yup yup yup!" Pumbaa had gotten up and was singing backup.

"Fooor some bacon?"

"Yup yup yup!"

"Heee's a big pig!"

"Yup yup!"

"You can be a big pig too, OI!" Timon finished, and the hyenas chased after them. The lions quickly snuck past them to Pride Rock.

"You guys, go find my mother and the lionesses. _I'll_ deal with Scar..." Simba instructed, and they split up.

* * *

"Hey, what the hell's going on over there?" Hidan pointed at Pride Rock, spotting the exiled lions approaching it.

"Looks like the other Akatsuki. They'll probably try to kill Scar." Kakuzu regarded the scene with mild interest.

"Can we sit here and see what happens? This is the first time in fucking forever we haven't had to chase a damn bounty. Maybe we can join in on some bloodshed!"

"Fine.. only once." Kakuzu sighed and sat down next to Hidan.

* * *

"SARABI!" Scar bellowed from Pride Rock. Zira sat near him, trying to ignore Nuka as he batted at her. Kiburi and Kiujanja flanked her, dozing quietly.

Sarabi made her way through a line of hyenas, head held high as she ignored them snapping at her.

"Where is your hunting party? They're not doing their job!" Scar growled when Sarabi stood before him.

"Scar, there is no food. The herds have moved on." she replied neutrally.

"No, you're just not looking hard enough!" he said stubbornly.

"It's over! There is nothing left! We have only one choice... we must leave Pride Rock!" the former queen urged.

"We're not going anywhere!" Scar snapped.

"Then you have sentenced us to death!" Sarabi snarled.

"So be it!"

"You can't do that!"

"I am the king, I can do whatever I want!" Scar turned away from her angrily.

"If you were half the king Mufasa was-" Sarabi began.

 ** _"I AM TEN TIMES THE KING MUFASA WAS!"_** Scar roared and slapped Sarabi, knocking her to the ground. Simba saw this and roared, revealing himself.

Scar looked at him with horror, believing him to be Mufasa.

"Mufasa? No, you're dead..." he mumbled as Simba padded to Sarabi and nuzzled her.

"Mmh.. Mufasa?" she asked as she stirred.

"No, it's me." Simba shook his head.

"Simba? You're alive? But how can that be?" she asked with confusion.

"It doesn't matter. I'm home..." Simba nuzzled his mother lovingly.

"Simba? Ah, _Simba_. I'm a little suprised to see you... _alive._ " Scar growled at the hyena trio near him and they gulped.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't rip you apart..." Simba snarled as he advanced on Scar.

"Simba you must understand, the pressures of ruling a kingdom-" he began nervously.

"Are no longer yours. Step down, Scar!" Simba growled. Nearby, the other exiles had rallied the lionesses and were slowly proceeding up towards them.

"Well, there's one problem with that. You see them?" Scar pointed a claw up at the hyenas above them.

"They think _I'm_ king..."

"Well we don't!" Nala interjected as she helped Sarabi up. The Akatsuki were leading the lionesses along with Nala, all glaring at Scar.

"Simba's the true king, you're just a tyrant!" Konan growled.

"The choice is yours, Scar. Step down, or fight." Simba felt boosted by the support and gave Scar an ultimatum.

"Oh, must this all end in violence? I'd hate to be responsible for the death of a family member. Wouldn't you agree, Simba?" Scar asked innocently, making him flinch.

"That won't work on us Scar, we've put that behind us." Simba and the other exiles nodded.

"Oh, but what about the others, have _they_ put it behind _them?_ "

"Now's the time to tell them your little secret.. tell them, who's responsible for Mufasa's death!" Scar accused, causing the lionesses to look confused.

 _'He's setting him up...'_ Konan realized.

"I am.." Simba began, but Nagato interrupted.

"Bullshit! We were lured into a trap, that much was obvious. Just stop and think for a moment, Simba could never have known what happened that day, it was not his fault! It wasn't ours either, in fact, the most obvious culprit is Scar!" Nagato snarled at said lion, who flinched. Suddenly, thunder began to boom and lighting flashed, as if sensing what was about to unfold.

"Think about it, Scar's been envious of Mufasa because he wasn't king. He probably _murdered_ Mufasa in cold blood so that he could take the throne!" Nagato began pacing towards Scar menacingly, and Simba looked shocked.

"Now that you say it... it does make a lot of sense, hm." Deidara joined in.

"Slimy bastard lied about us dying, who's to say he didn't lie about how Mufasa died?" Kisame began to pace towards Scar as well, and eventually all the exiles plus Nala and Konan were trying to corner him. Lighting flashed and thunder crashed, and Scar slipped. He managed to grab onto the ledge of Pride Rock, barely hanging on. A bold of lighting ignited the dead trees around Pride Rock, starting a fire below Scar.

"Ah... eh... oh, damn it all! Fine, I admit it! _I_ did it! **_I killed Mufasa!_ "** Scar yelled. The hyenas and lions simultaneously leapt, colliding. Scar managed to climb up and slip away in the chaos, unaware someone was watching him.

* * *

"It's best if we get into the den and stay down..." Zira whispered to Kiburi and Kiujanja, who nodded and obliged. Zira even picked Nuka up and pulled him in, albeit roughly.

"Finally, a good fight!" Kisame leapt into the hyena swarm, biting, tearing, crushing. He became awash with blood and organs, unleashing the pent up fury he had held in for so long.

Deidara grabbed a clump of clay he'd stuck to his mane and molded it into a large butterfly. It flew into the air and split into multiple butterflies, confusing the hyenas.

"HA!" the ground shook with the force of the explosions and the hyenas in range exploded into a mass of limbs and flesh.

Konan jumped near a dead tree, which was luckily fragile enough that she could create some paper out of it. Working rapidly, she created some small sheets of paper and shaped them into deadly lances. They rained down upon the hyenas approaching her, killing them fast or rendering them brain-damaged.

Nagato used his rinnegan on some hyenas as they tackled him, and they fell over, twitching. Nagato clutched his eyes in pain and shook with exhaustion. Konan was quick to notice this and moved to protect him.

Simba saw Scar slinking away. He swiftly followed after him.

"Hey, looks like things are starting to get interesting! Come on, I wanna fuck shit up!" Hidan ran towards the hyenas impulsively, and Kakuzu sighed.

"Damnit Hidan..." he ran after him, preparing to fight.

The immortal duo cut through the hyenas, Hidan savagely ripping off heads and tearing limbs and Kakuzu using his threads and various nature masks.

Timon and Pumbaa meanwhile broke Zazu out of his cage, charging into Shenzi, Banzai and Ed. Nearby Rafiki had shown up, and attacked hyenas assaulting Simba with moves similar to what the Akatsuki would call taijutsu.

Tobi watched with grim satisfaction as the hyenas were decimated and followed after Scar. Scar was stuck on a rock surrounded by flames, Simba managing to jump in after him.

" _Murderer..._ " he growled.

"No, Simba please! I am, eh.. family! Besides, it's the hyenas, it was their fault, it was their idea!" Scar pleaded, and above him the female hyena, Mayabi, who had been influenced by Tobi, growled.

 _'His time is over.. we will devour him!'_ Mayabi thought, the hyena trio behind her.

"You will fall now, Scar..." Tobi stated, activating his mangekyo sharingan. He looked Scar in the eye and placed a genjutsu on him. Scar saw Simba change to Mufasa, and Scar was now above the stampede.

"No.. no please! No... I won't let you! No more, no more!" Scar babbled madly; Simba stopped with a frown.

"You won't get me! You will never humiliate me again, _never!_ " Scar laughed madly and launched himself through the flames and onto the ground below.

"Well well well. Lost, little kitty? You're not king of us anymore. We rule _ourselves!_ " Mayabi growled as she approached him with the remaining hyenas.

"Help me, please! We're friends, aren't we?" Scar saw the hyenas in the stampede, somehow not being hit by the wildebeest.

"Friends? I thought he said we were the enemy!" Shenzi said, a cold grin spreading across her face.

"Yeah... that's what I heard." Banzai nodded.

"Ed?" Ed laughed sinisterly in response, and the hyenas advanced on Scar

"No, you don't understand! It wasn't my fault! No!" the hyenas devoured Scar alive, some of them being consumed by the flames in turn.

"Goodbye, you pathetic creature..." Tobi smiled with satisfaction and padded down to meet the other Akatsuki.

* * *

Pride Rock was a mess. Flesh, bones, organs, limbs, and especially blood were everywhere. The lions were becoming exhausted, but luckily the fighting died down as the hyenas ran off. Rain, miraculously, began to fall, putting out the fires and slowly washing away the gore.

Nagato and Konan looked at the rain with wonder. For most of their lives, they had lived in a village where rain was unending. Their friend Yahiko had once said it was as if the land was forever crying, and that he wanted to make it stop one day. But now the rain marked renewal, washing away the pain Scar had caused and heralding a new era of peace.

The lions, even Hidan and Kakuzu, watched transfixed as Simba ascended Pride Rock's main perch slowly. Rafiki nodded, knowing what the prince was about to do-become a king.

When he finally reached the top, Simba let out an impressive roar, marking himself as the new king. The other lions roared as well, acknowledging their acceptance of him. When they stopped, the Akatsuki padded together, but quickly collapsed from exhaustion.

"Ow-damnit. That was one of the best fight's I've ever had! Jashin will be pleased by all of my sacrifices" Hidan was covered in wounds, grinning madly.

"I just hope we get a profit from this.." Kakuzu muttered, sitting down tiredly.

"I'm only sad that I had no water to use against those beasts!" Kisame, despite being drenched in blood, was in a very good mood.

"I showed those beasts true art! They should consider themselves lucky they witnessed it, hm!" Deidara was bruised and singed, but had escaped serious injury thanks to his explosives.

"We've done it, Scar's gone and Simba is king. Thank Kami..." Nagato sighed, barely conscious from the battle. Konan quickly used her chi to heal him, exhausted herself.

"It's not over yet, Nagato..." Konan glared at the approaching masked lion.

"Don't even bother trying to fool us, hm! We know you're just using us..." Deidara snarled at Tobi, who stopped briefly in surprise.

"Using us? Whadda ya mean?" Hidan asked in confusion.

"Tobi is the true leader of The Akatsuki. We discovered he plans to use us as tools to start a war and further his own goals, and nobody else's." Nagato said, getting up after Konan healed him.

 _'Damn.. I don't know how the hell they learned this. Oh well, I have a powerful pawn waiting for me anyway. I won't need them for my next steps...'_ Tobi thought resolutely.

"Oh, you're right. Tobi has been a very bad boy!" Tobi sing-songed in his fool voice, even though they saw through him now.

"You can join me, and return to our world. Or you can stay here. Your choice..." Tobi said in his "Madara" voice.

"No. I won't follow you. Besides, this world is peaceful. There are no wars, no constant raging conflict between everything. I would rather stay here than be your pawn." Nagato said with determination, and sat down firmly.

"I'm with Nagato." Konan nodded, sitting with him.

"Me too. My art is appreciated here, and it's not like I have anything to go back to." Deidara smirked and joined the duo.

"That world was full of lies. Here, we don't have people skulking around keeping secrets so much. Besides, lions are a respectable predatory species." Kisame donned his trademark grin and sat.

"Screw it, I don't care where I am really, as long as I can kill and sacrifice. But I don't wanna be someone's fucking puppet." Hidan shrugged and sat.

"I can't trust anything in the old world. Here, at least most creatures have a sense of honor. Money is good, but it's not like I ever did much with it anyway. This world is just as profitable in it's own way." Kakuzu sat next to Hidan.

"We're with you too!" Simba called out, he and Nala moving to sit with the group.

"Fine. I can go on without you, my plans have advanced far enough. I have a powerful puppet waiting for me to use. But I will come back here someday. You _will_ pay for betraying me." Tobi activated his mangekyo sharingan, and teleported back to the shinobi world using Kamui.

* * *

After Tobi left the pride quickly went about eating the hyena's remains. The meat didn't taste very good, but with how much they had it fed the pride quite well and they stocked some in a cave in case they needed it. As it continued to rain heavily, they drank from puddles forming on the ground. It was grim, but it was a sign that The Pridelands would be renewed. After eating and drinking they all slept, exhausted from the battle. It was unknown where the remaining hyenas had fled, but they had been spotted far off. Zira was viewed as a traitor at first, but Simba showed mercy and allowed her, Nuka, Kiburi and Kiujanja to continue living as part of the pride.

Hidan and Kakuzu left quickly, off to find another bounty. The remaining Akatsuki decided it would be best to stay at Pride Rock and all were more or less content. Zira was secretly furious at Simba, believing him to be the killer of her beloved Scar. She wanted a stronger cub than Nuka to be Scar's heir, so she went and had her way with a rogue so that she could bear a new cub. Kiujanja and Kiburi supported her, and were beginning to tempt other lionesses into joining them as well. Zira vowed that she would have her vengeance, continuing to neglect Nuka. Sarafina fed him still and comforted him, but still felt saddened that Zira did not care for her own cub. Mheetu had become friends with Nuka, and the baby cubs played together often.

Simba had chosen Nala as his queen, everyone approving of this choice. The pair were married, Nagato and Konan planning to do likewise. Deidara had fun blowing things up and showing off his art, Kisame was eager to get back into hunting once the herds returned, and Nagato and Konan felt they had at last found true peace.

 **Bam, finito! There will be an epilogue after this, detailing what happened after the Pridelands regenerated and what Tobi is up to back in the ninja world, to set up the sequel. After that there will be a deleted scenes chapter, with a few bits and bobs I left out of the story for various reasons. Thanks to anyone who read and enjoyed this, drop a review if you want and see you for the epilogue!**


	12. Epilogue and Deleted Scenes

**Thanks to Grocamol for favoriting and following! Also, a huge thanks to anybody who has supported me in writing this, especially princessbinas who has created a cover for the sequel to this story. I decided to mash the epilogue and deleted scenes into one chapter, since neither are very long.**

Nagato and Konan looked out onto the grassy savannah. It had been three weeks since Simba became king, and the Pridelands was becoming beautiful again. The grass had regrown in most places, new trees and plants had appeared, and some of the herds had returned. It would still be a while before the land would be returned to it's former glory, but this was a start. The pride itself was doing well, and previously emaciated lionesses were looking healthy again. The waterhole was back, and animals were beginning to frequent it. Nala had fallen ill recently and Simba was worried. He planned to take her to Rafiki and make sure it wasn't serious. Konan had been showing similar symptoms recently, and Nagato worried that she might have caught the illness from Nala. Aside from this, however, both couples were very happy together.

One day, Nagato asked Konan why she loved him.

"Konan?" Nagato asked the lioness lying next to him quietly.

"Mm?"

"Why... why do you love me?" he whispered.

"What do you mean, Nagato?" Konan replied in confusion.

"Well... when Yahiko was still alive, I got the impression that you two... got together not long before he died. I was falling in love with you then, but I always thought..." Nagato sighed.

"That is... partly true. Yahiko and I had something, but we never really got enough time to fully realize what it was we had. When he died, I was distraught, yes. But after a while, I moved on. I realized that I had to stop dwelling on it, and I committed myself to helping you. You were all I had left, Nagato. With you I knew what I wanted to do, I had a purpose. I began to fall in love with you, but part of my still felt guilty about Yahiko, so I was unsure on whether to act on my feelings or not. I'm sorry if I caused you pain, Nagato. I'd never wish it on you..." Konan nuzzled Nagato comfortingly, and he returned the gesture.

"You have caused me only great joy, Konan. To know that you love me has given me another purpose in life... protecting and taking care of you." Nagato smiled at her, and the pair touched heads.

* * *

Kisame was in a perilous situation. He had to sneak into strange territory, and recover an important item. He climbed up the tree, listening keenly for any sounds. Kisame silently pulled himself onto the tree's top level, and looked around briefly in confusion. Various bowls were everywhere, containing powders or liquids. Paintings covered the thick tree limbs, drawn in a crude but unique style. Kisame's eyes locked onto a particular bowl, one filled with a clear liquid. He grabbed a fruit with his paw, and made his way towards the pedestal the bowl was on.

Very carefully, he grabbed it with his empty paw, and quickly switched it out with the fruit using his other paw. He sighed in relief, but heard something move. Kisame decided to make a break for it, and ran as fast as he could away from the tree, the bowl's handle in his mouth.

"HEY! That was my Umangu sap! You will pay for dat!" Rafiki yelled furiously from his tree.

Kisame spotted his target, sitting near a small pile of clay. Slowly, he dug a small hole into the pile, and poured the sap into it. He quickly covered the hole and ran to duck behind a tree.

 _'Finally... I will have my revenge for that stunt he pulled in the jungle!'_ Kisame rubbed his forepaws together as he saw Deidara approach the pile..

Deidara had molded a few small clay animals using his hand-mouths, and moved to put some more in them. The hand-mouths quickly grabbed clumps of the clay, with some sap stuck in them. Deidara hadn't noticed the sap, and waited for his hand-mouths to finish molding. Only...they didn't. He frowned and checked them, only to see they were completely stuck, unable to move due to the sap.

"What the hell? Damnit, this will take forever to get out, hm!" Deidara growled and whacked his clay pile angrily, only to get his paws covered in the sticky sap.

 _'Have fun making art without your paws, Deidara!'_ Kisame chuckled and ran off, furious cries echoing behind him.

* * *

"Simba, I'll be fine, really!" Nala protested as Simba led her towards Rafiki's tree.

"I don't want to lose you Nala! Especially after I just found you." Simba was nervous. Nala had been throwing up recently, and he believed her to be sick. He had insisted they go see Rafiki about it, and Nala had relented eventually.

"It's probably just a stomach bug."

"We don't know that for sure! It could be a deadly disease or something..." Simba trailed off and Nala rolled her eyes. The royal couple saw Rafiki clamber down from his tree to meet them.

"Ah, hello dere my friends! What do you need from old Rafiki?" the baboon asked with a smile.

"Well, Nala hasn't been feeling so well lately, and I'm worried about her. Konan has started being sick too, and I want to make sure it isn't anything serious." Simba said.

"Ah, I see. Come, your majesty. Lie down so I may have a look at you." Rafiki gestured for Nala to lie down, and she did so. Rafiki checked her mouth and claws, and felt along her belly.

"Hmm...yes... I see. I have good news for you both. It isn't serious. In fact, it is not an illness at all..." Rafiki trailed off with a knowing look in his eyes.

"If it's not an illness... what is it?" Simba asked slowly.

"Dere will be an heir to de throne. De young queen is pregnant."

* * *

Tobi watched Sasuke with interest. When he had initially returned to the shinobi world, Tobi had found that only a few days had passed since the chakra infection had made them all fall unconscious. Time worked differently for the two dimensions, luckily. Zetsu had informed Tobi that Itachi and Sasuke were battling, and that Itachi would likely lose. Tobi had quickly geared up and prepared himself to retrieve Sasuke. He found him unconscious next to his dead brother, covered in blood and showing sings of significant physical and mental exhaustion. Tobi had healed Sasuke's wounds, and when he awoke had told him the truth of The Uchiha Massacre. Sasuke had been furious at first, and in denial. But eventually, he relented to the truth. He wept for the brother he had lost, for he now saw that what happened was not Itachi's fault, but Konoha's. He vowed to destroy the leaf village for what it had done. Sasuke was near blind from overuse of the mangekyo sharingan, and had allowed Tobi to transplant Itachi's eyes into him, which would give him the eternal mangekyo sharingan. He currently sat in the rain, a bandage over his eyes.

"...we're gonna freeze out here." Tobi said, breaking the silence. Sasuke was still for a few moments more, then got up.

"Come." Tobi placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, and activated Kamui to teleport them back to the Akatsuki base.

Tobi was pleased with Sasuke's cooperation, and decided that he could continue on with his plans for a while using Sasuke. When his army was ready Sasuke would be useful in the war he planned.

 _'Though, I haven't forgotten about those traitors...'_ Tobi thought angrily. He planned to use Kamui to return to the other dimension eventually, and make them suffer for what they had done. With luck, he would find some allies there as well.

* * *

 **Deleted Scenes**

These are little snippets I left out for one reason or another, and I have stuck them in at the end here. Here's the first one, albeit it's more of a note than a scene.

Originally, the Akatsuki would have entered the TLK universe as adult lions, and would have formed their own rogue pride. They would interact with the TLK storyline, but not majorly. This is where the title came from, since they would originally be an independent pride. I got the idea for them to be cubs early on, and decided it would work a lot better that way, but kept the title.

Rafiki Sees

Rafiki felt something, a sense of disturbance. He quickly grabbed a gourd filled with rainwater, and poured some small seeds in it. He covered the top and hummed slowly and rhythmically, connecting with The Great Kings.

"I see... seven beings. Dey are not of dis world, but have been brought here to fulfill.. a purpose. Dey will bring great balance... or great destruction." Rafiki intoned, in a trance.

Suddenly snapping out of it, Rafiki dropped the gourd and grabbed various powders. He began to draw quickly and with great energy, before he lost the vision of the beings.

Soon, seven figures sat next to a drawing of two lion cubs. One lion cub was golden, with a red mark on it's head. The other was a peach-beige color, and had a small pink flower on her head, signifying she was female.

"Something new is coming to de Pridelands...

The Birth of Mheetu

Sarafina sighed. It had been six months since Scar had become king, and The Pridelands were not looking good. Trees and plants were beginning to wither, and the hyenas were beginning to scare off the herds with their brutal hunting methods. The only rays of hope she had were Nala... and her unborn cub.

"Agh!" the lioness felt a contraction hit her, and though she tried to walk it off they kept coming.

"Mom? Are you okay?" Nala padded up to her mother with a frown.

"Nala, I believe your sibling is coming." Sarafina clenched her teeth as she felt something gush down her legs. Her water had broken.

Sarafina lay down, growling in pain.

"Nala honey, go get Rafiki!" Nala nodded and ran off, while Sarafina continued to try and bring her cub into the world.

Rafiki arrived on the scene, and whispered soothingly to Sarafina.

"De cub is almost here, just a few more pushes." Sarafina roared and pushed hard, and her cub slid out. Rafiki placed it near her, and spoke.

"It is a boy."

"I have a baby brother..." Nala whispered as she looked at the creamy cub mewling in her mother's paw.

"Hey there! I'm your big sister, and I'm gonna take good care of you!" the cub gave a squeak and batted at her.

"It's almost like he's saying 'Me too'" Sarafina said with a chuckle.

"Me too... Mheetu! Mother, that could be his name!" Nala exclaimed.

"Yes, that sounds like a good name. Well then, little one, I name you Mheetu." Sarafina whispered, nuzzling him.

* * *

 **And so, this story comes to a close. There will be sequel coming up soon, so keep an eye out for that. Again, a big thanks to anybody who enjoyed this story, and I hope to see you again for The Akatsuki Pride II: Simba's Pride!**


	13. Sequel Up!

**Hey guys, Romancehowler here to tell you that the sequel to this story, The Akatsuki Pride II: Simba's Pride is now up! Go check it out if you'd like to read it. It will likely be longer than this story, so updates will not be as frequent. Plus I start school again very soon, so I won't have as much time to write as I would like. But I will** ** _not_** **abandon the story, don't worry. The next story focuses mostly on the TLK aspect of the crossover, but there is a good amount of Naruto in it as well. Well, go on, on your bike!**

 **~Romancehowler**


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